LA Midweek Edition -- February 03 -- 05, 2016

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LOS ANGELES

M I D W E E K M I D W E E K

EDITION

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EFebruary D I T I3-5, ON 2016

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Volume 26 - No. 10 • 3 Sections - 22 Pages

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MANILA – President Aquino bears responsibility for the massacre of 44 Special Action Force commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25 last year, lawmakers belonging to the independent bloc of the House of Representatives said on Tuesday, February 2.

DATELINE

“Taken in its totality, the onus of responsibility for the Mamasapano massacre falls squarely in the hands of President Aquino,” the bloc said in its report on the incident.

Reps. Martin Romualdez of Leyte, Lito Atienza of Buhay and Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada held a news conference to present their report.

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton victorious in Iowa Caucus THE Iowa Caucus on Monday, Feb. 1 – the first major hurdle on the narrow road to the presidential elections – proved to be a night of political surprises. Thousands of Iowa residents gathered in various caucus sites across the state to hear candidates’ appeals and make their vote, officially starting off the nomination process for both Democrat and Republican parties.

In the crowded GOP race, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz--supported widely by evangelical Christians, and backed by vigorous campaigning in the state -- defeated real estate mogul Donald Trump in the Republican caucuses. Cruz won about a third of the evangelical vote, reported the New York Times.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Cruz had nearly 28 percent of the statewide vote, while Trump closely followed with 24 percent.

“Tonight is a victory for courageous con-

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Undocumented students can receive financial aid under CA DREAM loan program OVER 3,000 undocumented undergraduate students will now have access to the California DREAM Loan program, an initiative worth $5 million in financial aid funded by the University of California and the state.

In an announcement made on Thursday, Jan. 28, UC President Janet Napolitano said that financial aid offices at the system’s nine undergraduate campuses will be reaching out to undocumented AB 540 undergraduates with offers of loan assistance through the program for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Under Assembly Bill 540, qualifying undocumented students are charged resident fees and exempted from out-of-state supplemental tuition.

“By reducing barriers and expanding access to higher education for undocumented students, the University of California is invest-

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by JESS

www.ajdigitaledition.com

Tels: 818.502.0651 • 213.250.9797 • Fax: 818.502.0858 • 213.481.0854

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Robredo escapes car bombing WHO declares Zika a

by AL JACINTO

AND

LLANESCA T. PANTI ManilaTimes.net

DAVAO CITY — A car bomb exploded on Tuesday afternoon, February 2, in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, just minutes after the convoy of Rep. Leni Robredo passed near the area.

At least three people were injured in the blast.

The car was parked near a gas station along Jose Abad I\g% C\e` IfYi\[f Santos Street when it went off.

It was not immediately known whether Robredo was the target of the bombing, but the politician was there to campaign ahead of the May national elections.

The bombing occurred as locals were

celebrating the Catholic feast of Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria.

Robredo, who is running for Vice President under the Liberal Party (LP), denounced the bombing.

The Camarines Sur lawmaker arrived in Tacurong at 9:30 a.m. for a series of meetings.

“I strongly condemn the bombing, especially at this time when we are continually pushing for progress in Sultan Kudarat and in Mindanao as a whole,” she said.

“I am safe, but I extend my concern to those three people who were wounded,” Robredo added.

The lawmaker called on authorities to go after perpetrators of the crime to bring

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global health emergency

THE World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Zika virus and its purported links to birth defects a global public health emergency.

The Zika virus, which has been found in more than 20 Latin American countries, has officials concerned about its possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and improperly developed brains.

“I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America following a similar cluster in

French Polynesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern,” WHO director general Margaret Chan said on Monday, Feb. 1, adding that the virus is “spreading explosively.”

Chan added that “it was strongly suspected but not yet scientifically proven” that Zika causes microcephaly. The organization is focusing on protecting pregnant women and their babies and controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that are spreading the virus.

Pregnant women are advised to

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Martial law compensation claimants get 2 more years

by LLANESCA

T. PANTI ManilaTimes.net

THE Human Rights Violations (HRV) Claims Board–created under the Marcos compensation law to provide P10 billion worth of financial remuneration for victims of martial law atrocities such as summary executions, enforced disappearances, torture, among others–will be in office for another two years.

The extension under House Bill (HB) 6412 was approved by the House of Representatives, via a 127-7 vote.

HB 6412 amends the Marcos compensation law on third and final reading on Monday, February 1.

The claims board has sole jurisdiction in determining whether a claimant is a human rights violations victim, unless he or she already enjoys the conclusive presumption extended by the law to plaintiffs in

the class suit adjudicated by the US Federal District Court of Honolulu, Hawaii against the estate of the late President Ferdinand Marcos and those acknowledged as human rights violation victims by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, as well as validating the amounts to be granted to all claimants relative to the severity of the atrocities they suffered and in accordance with a point system.

The Commission on Human Rights

Binay camp downplays Blue !

Ribbon report on graft raps

1

(CHR) earlier expressed its support for HB 6412, pointing out that the number of claims filed before the HRV Claims Board more than tripled at 75,730, compared with the expected 20,000 cases.

“If we do not extend [the claims board’s] life, we won’t know what to do next. We can’t make the victims wait for too long,” CHR Chairman Jose Gascon earlier told the House

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THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 4-10

PRESYONG SULIT

SAVINGS! LENTEN SPECIALS!

by HELEN

FLORES Philstar.com

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MANILA – The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday, February 2, downplayed the recommendation of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee to file criminal charges against him and his son, dismissed Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay.

The charges stemmed from the alleged anomalous construction of the Makati City Hall Building II. The Senate subcommittee said there was “plunder through grand conspiracy” in the overpricing of the building, which was constructed when the elder Binay was mayor.

The subcommittee report was presented in the plenary on Monday, February 1, two days before Congress adjourns today.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the sub-

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

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Aquino, as chief executive and commander-in-chief, failed to provide guidance and leadership in the planning, execution and after-mission conduct of this critical undertaking dubbed Oplan Exodus to neutralize three suspected terrorists, they said.

“He approved and directed the mission using inputs from a limited circle of subordinates, principally then suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima and SAF chief Getulio Napeñas,” read the report.

On the day of the police raid to capture the suspected terrorists, Aquino was in Zamboanga City with several Cabinet members and high-ranking military and police officers, they said.

“In fine, he was in a position to have stepped in at the early stages of the firefight and prevented the heavy loss of lives. That he

did not order a more determined effort to rescue the troops and… perhaps even to the extent of talking directly to his peace partner, MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) chairman Murad Ibrahim, to stop the firefight instead of ‘bureaucratizing’ the ceasefire and rescue operations has fuelled suspicions that he actually issued a ‘stand down’ order to the troops,” read the report.

Based on the actuations of Aquino and his companions in Zamboanga City, it was evident that there was such stand-down directive, although it was “unspoken,” they said.

Malacañang and military officials have denied there was a stand-down order for the military from Aquino.

“The MILF must share responsibility for the deadly outcome of this campaign… they should have taken every available step

to turn in the high value targets (suspected terrorists) in accordance with their commitments under the ceasefire and related agreements with the government,” read the report.

Meanwhile, six survivors of the Mamasapano clash were conferred the PNP Distinguished Conduct Medal (Medalya ng Kabayanihan) and PNP Distinguished Service Medal (Medalya ng Katapatan sa Paglilingkod).

The National Police Commission has issued resolutions supporting the special awards for Police Officers 3 Solomon Agayso, Jovalyn Lozano, Jose Mana-ar Jr.; Police Officer 2 Clifford Agayyong; and Sr. Supts.

Fernando Mendez Jr. and Edgar Monsalve, according to Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, concurrent Napolcom chairman.

(With report from Cecille Suerte Felipe)

Binay camp downplays Blue Ribbon report…

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committee, previously handed out copies of the partial report to the media after getting the signatures of 10 senators who were members of the Blue Ribbon committee.

He only presented the partial report to the plenary for debates on Monday, February 1.

Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesman for media affairs, said the

report was not new, noting that after more than 25 public hearings, what the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee presented to the plenary was just a partial report.

Salgado said Pimentel decided to present it to the plenary on Monday, in time for the survey period.

“It’s part of a chorus of attacks on the Vice President led

by the Liberal Party (LP) candidate himself and his spokesmen at the Palace, Misters (Edwin) Lacierda and (Manuel) Quezon,” he said.

He said the subcommittee does not have the competence or the authority to determine criminal liability, adding the investigations “were made in aid of demolition, not legislation.”

(With report from Marvin Sy)

Robredo escapes car… Martial law…

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them to justice.

“This incident won’t deter me from pursuing lasting peace in Mindanao,” Robredo said.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but it happened after government officials admitted that there is no more hope for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) under the Aquino administration.

President Benigno Aquino 3rd blamed lawmakers for the failure of the BBL, an offshoot of a peace agreement that the government signed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in 2014.

The MILF has repeatedly warned that violence may erupt if Congress fails to pass the proposed law that seeks to create an autonomous Bangsamoro region.

In December, MILF rebels attacked civilians and killed at least a dozen of them in Tulunan town in North Cotabato province near Tacurong.

Police said the violence was an offshoot of a long-standing land conflict.

Many politicians and residents in the proposed expanded Muslim region rejected the BBL and wanted out of the deal, citing various reasons and the failure of the Aquino government and peace negotiators from both sides to include recommendations submitted by the provinces in the autonomous region.

Last year, villagers in the town of Wao in Lanao del Sur, one of five provinces under the proposed Muslim region, rejected

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human rights committee.

Gascon was referring to 75,730 claims.

Of this number, the board is only expected to finish processing of 15,000 claims by the end of January.

The Marcos compensation law is the lone Philippine law that makes late President Marcos and his family accountable for the human rights violations committed during his rule.

The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto or Selda, however, opposes the measure because of fear that its member-claimants would die because of the extended waiting time before their claims are processed and they are given due monetary compensation. ■

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Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton victorious in…

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servatives across Iowa and all across this great nation,” Cruz said. “Tonight, the state of Iowa has spoken. Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives all across Iowa and our great nation.”

Cruz, who has been trailing Donald Trump in recent Iowa polls, also set the record for most Iowa caucus votes received by a single candidate.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio trailed in third place, with 23.1 percent of the vote. “We are not waiting any longer to take our country back,” Rubio told his supporters that night. “I will be your nominee thanks to what you have done in this great state.”

Other Republican contenders, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul reported low numbers.

For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton won by a very slim margin of victory over her opponent, Bernie Sanders. With a roughly 49.9 to 49.6 percent split, the Iowa Democratic Party described

the race as a “historically close caucus.”

Clinton proved victorious after the results showed the delegate gap larger than the 2.28 delegates available from the final, unreported Des Moines precinct, said New York Daily News. The former secretary of state has been leading every major national poll.

“I am a progressive who gets things done for people,” Clinton, the top pick for 45 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers, said Monday. “We have to

be united when it is all said and done…against a Republican vision and candidates who would drive us apart and divide us.”

Among young voters (between ages 17 and 29), Bernie Sanders reportedly won 84 percent of the vote (18 percent if the whole Democratic caucus electorate), to Clinton’s 14 percent. Sanders, a 74-year-old self-proclaimed “Democratic socialist,” has proven himself the clear choice of young people. However, among 45 to 64-year-olds and those

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WHO declares Zika a global…

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consider delaying travel to areas affected by the virus and to seek physician assistance if living in areas affected by the virus.

In Brazil alone, there have been about 4,000 reported cases since October of last year, and could potentially infect 4 million people in the Americas. Health officials also said Africa and Asia are susceptible to the virus.

Currently, there are no vaccinations or medications to stop

the virus.

As of press time, the first virus transmission in the US was reported in Dallas on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Local health officials stated that it was contracted through sexual contact, not the bite of a mosquito.

According to the WHO, this is the fourth time the agency has declared an international health emergency. Other cases included influenza, Ebola and polio.

(AJPress)

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Open enrollment for Covered California ends Sunday, Feb. 6 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Due to a last-minute rush for health coverage, Covered California announced that it would keep the doors open for consumers who start the application process but are unable to complete their enrollment by this Sunday, Feb. 6.

The announcement follows a surge of enrollment that saw tens of thousands of consumers enroll in health insurance plans this week and that left certified enrollers with even more applications to file before the Jan. 31 deadline.

“Our top priority is making sure consumers who are trying to get health insurance get the time and assistance they need,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “Covered California knows that health care coverage is too important, and people should not be turned away just because they get caught up in a wave of lastminute shoppers.”

Lee said consumers who start their enrollment process, or make an appointment, by midnight Jan. 31 will have until midnight Feb. 6 to complete the application as long as they are working with a Certified Insurance Agent, Certified Enrollment Counselor,

Certified Plan-Based Enroller or Service Center representative at Covered California.

“Anyone who does not have health insurance should visit CoveredCA.com and find out where they can get help enrolling before Jan. 31,” Lee said. “If you get started before Sunday, our certified enrollers and Service Center representatives will help you get across the finish line

by Feb. 6.”

Consumers can sign up, or begin an application, in a variety of ways, including enrolling online atwww.CoveredCA.com, calling (800) 300-1506 to enroll over the phone or finding in-person help in their communities. In-person enrollment assistance can be found by visiting www.CoveredCA.com/get-help/local and searching for enrollment help by ZIP code.

Because the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty known as the “shared responsibility payment,” Lee said the time is now for consumers to get coverage for their families instead of paying a penalty to the Internal Revenue Service when they file their 2016 taxes. The

fine is calculated two different ways, and uninsured consumers will pay whichever amount is higher.

The first calculation is 2.5 percent of household income, with a maximum of the total yearly premium for the national average Bronze health insurance plan premium. The second calculation is $695 per adult plus $347.50 per child under the age of 18, with a maximum of $2,085.

“You no longer have to gamble on something as important as your health, because there is financial assistance available to help bring you and your family quality health care coverage,” Lee said.

Nearly nine out of every 10 Covered California enrollees receive some level of financial assistance. Covered California says that 670,000 enrollees paid $100 a month or less for their coverage in 2015 and that 350,000 enrollees paid $50 or less per month.

After open enrollment ends, consumers may sign up only if they have a life-changing event such as getting married, having a child or moving. Medi-Cal enrollment is year-round. (AJPress)

Obama most liked leader on Facebook; Aquino is No. 10

by TINA

ARCEO-DUMLAO

Chargers to stay in San Diego in 2016, reach deal with Rams to share Inglewood stadium

by AGNES

CONSTANTE AJPress

Inquirer.net

DESPITE the bashing he had been getting lately for his veto of the proposed P2,000 pension increase among Social Security System retirees, President Aquino emerged the 10th most “liked” country leader in 2015, with 4.244 million “likes” on his official Facebook account.

According to the World Leaders on Facebook study by leading communications and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, US President Barack Obama ranked as the most popular world leader with more than 46.414 million likes on his “campaign page,” which was not managed by the White House administration or Obama himself.

The official White House account, on the other hand, was the eighth most liked Facebook

THE San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams reached an agreement on Friday, Jan. 29, in principle to share a future football stadium in Inglewood, California that is set for completion in 2019.

However, Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a message to fans on the team’s website that the team will play in San Diego this year.

“Today I decided our team will stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and I hope for the long Gi\j`[\ek 9XiXZb FYXdX jg\Xbj `e NXj_`e^kfe K_lij[Xp# ;\Z% ('# )'(,# `e NXj_`e^kfe% term in a new stadium,” he said

8G G_fkf in a message to Chargers fans page with 5.44 million likes, ac- endra Modi, with 31.745 million posted on the team’s website.

Spanos has been demanding cording to the study by Burson- likes on his personal page, plus Marsteller, which operates in another 10.109 million on the a new stadium for more than a 110 countries.. official page of the Prime Minis- decade, but has been met with Obama was closely followed ter of India.

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the recession, limited options for sites and the city’s former financial problems, according to the Times of San Diego. In addition to remaining in the city for another season, the team announced it would try to get a stadium built.

There is no word yet on whether or not the Chargers will actually relocate to Los Angeles, but the team has until Jan. 15, 2017 to decide whether or not it wants to move.

The Chargers will be able to extend the option to Jan. 15, 2018, should a referendum for public financing in San Diego not be approved before Nov. 15 this year, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

In his letter to Charger fans, Spanos expressed that he would prefer to stay in San Diego.

“I have met with Mayor Faul-

coner and Supervisor Roberts and I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to resolve our stadium dilemma. We have an option and an agreement with the Los Angeles Rams to go to Inglewood in the next year, but my focus is on San Diego.

“This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the worldclass stadium experience you deserve,” he said.

Should the Chargers reach a new stadium deal in San Diego, the NFL said it would give an additional $100 million in support, on top of a $200 million loan from the league, according to USA Today.

A new stadium in San Diego would probably cost a mini-

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Undocumented students can receive…

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ing not only in the future of these students, but also in the future of our state and nation,” said Napolitano in a statement.

The DREAM loan program, proposed by Napolitano in 2014, was authorized that same year when the Legislature passed SB 1210, authored by state Sen. Ricardo Lara. Funding was not made available until this academic year.

The initial $5 million for the California DREAM Program, equally funded by the University of California and state general funds appropriated to UC, will be distributed according to need across campuses.

According to the UC system,

students under AB 540 can begin borrowing up to $4,000 each year in state loans, and each campus can determine how much each student can borrow. Students may borrow every year he or she is enrolled at a UC campus or until he or she receives a maximum of $20,000 in DREAM loans.

“The DREAM loan program will grow our college-educated workforce and make good on the promise that a college degree is possible for all hard-working, qualified California students regardless of their immigration status,” Lara said.

Under the current law, undocumented students who graduate from a California high school and meet the California DREAM

Act requirements are eligible for state and university aid.

Their undocumented status, however, disqualifies them from receiving federal aid, which severely limits their access to student loans. In addition, they have difficulty accessing private loans.

“This new program will reduce that gap,” said Napolitano. “It will help even the playing field for undocumented students struggling to make ends meet.”

Some campuses have eased the financial burden on undocumented students with case-bycase loans from the institution, but the DREAM program provides assistance across the UC system. (AJPress)

Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton victorious in…

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65 and older, Clinton is leading Sanders in the polls.

“When I think about what happened tonight, I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment and — by the way — to the media establishment,” Sanders told supporters just before midnight, calling the Iowa race a “virtual tie.” “And that is that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.”

After a dim showing in the Hawkeye State to keep their candidacies afloat, former governors Martin O’Malley and Mike Huckabee both suspended their

campaigns.

“We fought very, very hard in order to give the people a choice, and the people made their choice tonight,” said O’Malley at his rally in Des Moines, expressing gratitude to his supporters and Iowa citizens. “We have to hold strong to the values that make us Americans.”

O’Malley, who entered the race last May but never polled high and struggled to gain traction with liberal voters, did not endorse a candidate.

Huckabee’s suspension was not planned, but the extremely low turnout prompted him to step out of the race.

“He is going to continue to push for the issues he believes, but right now this is about thanking his staff and supporters

Robredo escapes car…

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the BBL, saying they do not want to be included in the new Bangsamoro territory.

The villagers said after the peace deal was signed, several Muslim groups have emerged and started claiming farmlands owned by Christians as theirs and invoking their ancestral rights in Lanao del Sur. Now, many residents have started arming themselves for protection fearing that once the new Bangsamoro autonomous government is installed, Muslims will take away their lands that they inherited from their clan.

Majority of the town’s 40,000 inhabitants are Christians.

Some villagers said several groups of Maranao, one of several Muslim tribes in Mindanao, have started putting up markers and begun claiming farmlands as

their ancestral domain.

The markers were destroyed by landowners.

In Sultan Kudarat province, villagers in the town of President Quirino were also facing the same dilemma.

Many of them have purchased illegal weapons to protect their families and lands from unjustified takeover by Muslims who warned them that they should leave the town immediately once the Bangsamoro autonomous region is installed because they would take over their farms.

The MILF–a breakaway faction of the Moro National Liberation Front which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996– had fought fiercely for decades for self-determination and had been accused of terrorism in the past and of coddling Malaysian and Indonesian jihadists. ■

and being with his friends and families and see what doors will open next,” said Hogan Gidley, a spokesman for Huckabee, according to CNN. The turnout of the Iowa caucuses was about 158,000, according to Edison Research, which conducted entrance polls at precincts across the state.

The caucuses determine which candidates send delegates to this year’s Republican convention in Cleveland. Nine other states will also assign delegates this way, in both party contests. While Republicans cast secret ballots, Democrats gather in candidate affinity groups, and reshuffle if some voters stood for a candidate without enough viable support in the state caucuses (for example, Martin O’Malley, who has recently trailed badly in all polls). Delegates are distributed based on the percentage of support each candidate received, according to USA Today. The final voting results are reported to the state party headquarters, which then report it to media.

“Turnout is everything,” national political strategist David Axelrod told USA Today. “The race is a tight as can be.”

A win for a candidate does not by any means spell a nomination at his or her party’s convention, but victory (or even a competitive placing) in Iowa can help build momentum for the rest of the year, said CNBC. Still, a weak result in the state could mean the beginning of the end for some campaigns, especially in the crowded GOP ticket.

New Hampshire is the next state to vote, with its primary on Tuesday, Feb. 9. (Allyson Escobar / AJPress)

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LA to close US Route 101 this weekend in Downtown LA 40-Hour Closure Starts 10 p.m. Friday February 5, 2016, through 2 p.m. Sunday Feb. 7

THE City of Los Angeles is advising residents and travelers that the city’s Bureau of Engineering will close U.S. Route 101 through downtown Los Angeles for 40 hours this weekend beginning 10 pm on Friday, Feb. 5 through 2 pm on Sunday, Feb. 7. The closure will allow a section of the Sixth Street Viaduct to be demolished. City officials are encouraging drivers to PLAN AHEAD, EXPECT DELAYS and to FOLLOW DETOUR SIGNS to alternative routes.

The 2.5-mile section of U.S. Route 101 will be closed from the Interstate 10/Interstate 101 split to the Interstate 5/Interstate 10/Interstate 101 interchange just east of downtown Los Angeles. Additionally, motorists traveling west on Route 60 from the Pomona area will not be able to access U.S. Route 101.

The 84-year-old Sixth Street Viaduct suffers from a chemical deterioration of the bridge’s concrete and needs to be replaced.

Demolition of the entire viaduct is expected to take nine months.

Construction of the new viaduct is scheduled to be completed stalled to assist motorists in findlate-2019. ing alternative routes around the Detour signs have been in- construction closure and the Cali-

Third was Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey with 7.991 million. Indonesian President Joko Widodo emerged the highest ranking among Southeast Asian leaders, with 6.014 million likes on his Facebook page.

‘Channel of choice’ Also on the top 10 were Egyptian President Abdel Fattah elSisi (5.986 million likes), Queen Rania of Jordan (5.565 million) and Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto with 4.504 million.

Burson-Marsteller said in a statement that over the past eight years, the popular Facebook social media platform had become the “channel of choice” for community engagement with world leaders.

“Many politicians discover social media channels during election campaigns, such as the Barack Obama page, which was set up in late 2007 as an electoral tool for the former senator of Illinois. Since then, a Facebook presence (had) become part and parcel of any social media political campaign and one of the best ways to engage with potential voters and citizens,” the report said.

Burson-Marsteller added that according to Facebook’s latest figures, 1.5 billion people had registered an account on the platform, of which 1 billion remained active on the social network every day.

In 2015, the number of users on Facebook topped even the population of China, the most populous country on earth.

512 Facebook pages “Given this global audience, it comes as no surprise that governments and leaders of 87 percent of the 193 United Nations member countries now have a presence on the social network,” Burson-Marsteller said.

The 512 Facebook pages ana-

lyzed in the study represented 169 governments and had a combined total of 230.489 million likes.

The Burson-Marsteller study added that about 9 of 10 governments had an official Facebook presence and that 87 heads of state, 82 heads of government and 51 foreign ministers kept personal pages on the platform.

Based on data collected in January 2016, the World Leaders on Facebook study—the first installment of the 2016 edition of Burson-Marsteller’s annual Twiplomacy study—found that 169 of 193 UN member states maintained an official Facebook page.

The study also found that official government use of Facebook varies among countries.

“While some pages merely broadcast the daily activity of their leaders, others engage with their citizens, replying to the most salient comments and even allowing a free flow of visitor posts on their respective pages,” the report said.

Private lives “Much like any other Facebook user, world leaders share their private lives on the platform: Celebrating birthdays, sharing pictures of their children, celebrating their latest offspring or grieving the passing of their parents. And these personal posts are generally the most popular,” the report added.

“This first study about governments’ use of Facebook provides valuable insights about the communications practices of political leaders around the world,” said Donald A. Baer, Worldwide chair and CEO of BursonMarsteller. “There is a great deal (that) corporations, NGOs and other sectors can learn from the ways governments and their leaders use Facebook. By show-

Chargers to stay in San Diego…

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mum of $1.1 billion, including hundreds of millions of publicly funded dollars that could be approved or rejected in a public vote later this year, USA Today reported.

News of the agreement between the teams comes a little over two weeks after the NFL voted to al-

low the Rams to move from St. Louis, Missouri to Los Angeles.

It also comes one day after reports that the Chargers are scouting a parcel of land in Santa Ana to serve as a temporary training facility and headquarters, in the event they move to Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. ■

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WHEN traveling northbound I-5 from the Orange County area approaching the 5/10/101 Interchange : • Exit to northbound I-101 closed • Exit to westbound I-10 open • Exit to northbound I-5 open • Primary Detour: northbound I-710 to westbound I-10 • Secondary Detour: westbound I-10 to northbound I-110 When traveling westbound I-60 from the Pomona area approaching I-5/I-10/I-101 Interchange: • Exit to northbound I-101 closed • Exit to northbound I-5 open • Primary Detour: northbound I-710 to westbound I-10 • Secondary Detour: westbound I-10 to northbound I-110 When traveling southbound I-101 from the San Fernando Valley area approaching the I-10/I-101 Split: • Exit to southbound I-101 closed • Eastbound I-10 open • Primary Detour: southbound I-110 to eastbound I-10 • Secondary Detour: eastbound I-10 to southbound I-710 I-101 Freeway On-Ramp closures: • Northbound I-101 6th Street - CLOSED • Northbound I-101 Euclid Avenue - CLOSED • Northbound I-101 Soto Street - CLOSED • Southbound I-101 Los Angeles Street - CLOSED • Southbound I-101 Commercial Street - CLOSED • Southbound I-101 Mission Road - CLOSED • Southbound I-101 4th Street - CLOSED Off-ramp closures: • Southbound I-101 to Alameda Street – CLOSED • Southbound I-101 to Mission Road - CLOSED • Westbound I-60 to Soto Street – CLOSED • Northbound I-5 to Soto Street - CLOSED

fornia Department of Transportation (Caltrans) are posting directional signs on area freeways. ■

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ing their human side, they are creating a closer relationship with their citizens.”

Added Jeremy Galbraith, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Europe, Middle East and Africa, and global chief strategy officer: “This study illustrates that governments are becoming savvier and more professional in the use of social media. An encouraging finding from this study is that, for governments, it seems that quality trumps quantity in terms of what they post.

“It is also very refreshing to see that successful politicians on Facebook behave just like any other Facebook user, sharing pictures of their home life, holidays and their children,” Galbraith said in a statement.

Most engaged leader The study said Modi had the most interactive fans, with more than 200 million interactions on his Facebook “community” in 2015 (the total number of post likes, comments and shares), more than five times as many as Obama’s. However, the White House’s posts, while attracting far fewer likes than Modi, were nevertheless shared more frequently.

Argentina’s new President, Mauricio Macri, was the most engaged world leader and had become the undisputed “Facebook president.” with a doubledigit engagement rate relative to the number of page likes of almost 12 percent, the study said.

The Facebook page of the President of the Dominican Republic, meanwhile, was the most prolific, with an average of more than 27 posts per day in 2015.

Almost as prolific were those of the governments of Botswana and the Philippines, each with an average of more than 20 posts per day. By contrast, the official page of the President of the United States only published intermittently, but gathered more than 77,000 interactions per post.

At the other end were the governments of 24 countries that had yet to establish their presence on Facebook, including China, where the social network is banned, and Switzerland, where the former president briefly set up a personal page in 2013 before deactivating it four months later. ■

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OPINION

FEATURES

Broken vow

WITH only five months left before he steps down from office, President Benigno Aquino III has yet to fulfill one of his campaign promises in the 2010 presidential election: to bring resolve to the Maguindanao massacre.

Who could ever forget that fateful day on November 23, 2009, when a private army (allegedly led by the Ampatuan clan) killed a 58-person convoy, on their way to file the certificate of candidacy of then Buluan vice mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu. The news made international headlines and was tagged as one of the most heinous election-related crimes in history.

With 32 of the victims killed during the carnage identified as media practitioners, the incident is easily recognizable as the single worst act of extrajudicial killing and reiterating that the Philippines is indeed a dangerous country for journalists.

These 32 victims are among 2,297 journalists and media staff who have been killed in the last 25 years. In its recent report, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said that these journalists were killed for doing nothing more than trying to inform the world about war, revolution, crime and corruption.

The report added that Iraq topped the list of the most dangerous countries for journalists with 309 killings. The Philippines ranked second with 146 killings, but IFJ underscored the “recurring finding of our reports that there are many more killed in peacetime situations than in war-stricken countries.”

“The Ampatuan Massacre remains the key focal point of the Philippines media’s battle with impu-

nity, but it must be stressed that the killing of journalists didn’t start on November 23, 2009, nor did it end there. At least 40 journalists have been killed since. Since 1986, when the People Power uprising against the Marcos dictatorship brought democratic institutions back to the Philippines, 180 media workers have been killed. And as the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) continues to point out, it is inevitably only the gunmen who are pursued,” IFJ noted.

On its sixth anniversary in November last year, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, who lost his wife, some relatives and supporters, expressed his disappointment that six years after the killings, the court had yet to decide on the case.

“It’s been six long, agonizing years. Where is justice?” Mangudadatu said.

The Aquino administration asserted that it remains committed to bringing justice to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre and their families but speeding up the trial solely rests on the judiciary.

The Dept. of Justice gave a marching order for the swift resolution of the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre. It directed state prosecutors to oppose any dilatory tactics and vowed to have convictions, particularly on the principal accused, by 2016 before President Aquino steps down.

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“Make no mistake, we are very concerned also.

We would certainly like to have the trial of the Ampatuan case hastened as well and, in fact, we do want to see a decision before the President leaves office. But is it something within our control? That is not within our control,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said responding to criticism about the slow-paced trial of the case.

The outcome of the Maguindanao massacre trials will dictate whether the Philippines is a country has learned its lesson to put an end to violence and

impunity—or one that is condemned to repeat the same mistakes.

When justice is delayed, is justice denied? This pithy aphorism seems to be fitting for the relatives of the victims of the 2009 Maguindanao killings.

Six years later, the faltering steps for truth and justice have brought more than 200 people implicated in the massacre, topped by members of the Ampatuan clan. Some have been arrested, others were arraigned. But for the victim’s family, justice remains elusive until a conviction is passed. (AJPress)

Iowa Surprises: Cruz beats Trump, Clinton and Sanders in a virtual tie THE long race to the White House has started with the caucuses in Iowa on Monday, Feb. 1. The election in this state has defied all conventional wisdom, polls and political pundits’ analyses and fearless forecasts. Voter turnout was reported to have broken records, revealing voter enthusiasm in both parties.

Republican caucuses Frontrunner Donald Trump was crushed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz — the ultra-conservative candidate who pundits, the polls, and Trump himself prophesied to have a dying campaign after he was pummeled in the FOX News-sponsored Iowa debate that Trump decided not to participate in because of his feud with the network.

The missed appearance might have hurt Trump, who decided instead to stage an event -- at the same time of the debate -- that he said would raise money for veterans Many believe, including Trump himself in hindsight, that this was a misstep on his part because he ended up losing the chance to convince the people of Iowa that he has better vision and platform than his competitors.

Trump might have ducked having to respond to questions The Fil-Am examining his positions, statements and actions in the past, Perspective but with the unique political process of caucuses in Iowa, he might have lost voters to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who was GEL SANTOS-RELOS just a percentage point lower than Trump, despite his not so impressive rating the polls before the Iowa caucuses.

Cruz finished with 28 percent of the votes, Trump with 24 percent and Rubio 23 percent. All the other GOP candidates got single digit votes.

This result proves that the caucuses might have just reinforced the fact that Republicans in Iowa were looking for candidates who share their conservative principles and values. This triumphed over the birther issue raised by Trump against Cruz, not the Trump’s star power.

During the caucuses, voters actually openly discuss with other voters why they are voting for their

selected candidate, and may even sway supporters of the other candidates to change their votes in favor of their candidate, or convince the undecided to join them in caucusing for their candidate.

Democratic caucuses Who would have thought that 74-year-old Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders would be in a virtual tie with frontrunner former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? Just a year ago, he was polling only 7 percent versus Clinton’s 68 percent. On caucus night in Iowa, Sanders and Clinton were in a virtual tie, with less than one percent difference between them: Clinton got 49.9, while Sanders got 49.6.

Because of the tightness of the race, officials resorted to coin toss, a practice allowed by rules for Democratic precincts. Des Moines Register reported on at least two instances of decisions by a coin toss, all breaking for Clinton.

Clinton might have been declared the winner in Iowa, but this could still change, and Sanders

might still turn out to have won in this state. The Clinton victory was announced based on results from 1,682 of 1,683 precincts. One the result of precinct — precinct 42 — was reported missing, and according to the Des Moines Register, “Votes from one precinct in Iowa were still missing Tuesday morning, and Democrats from that neighborhood scrambled to find party officials so that they could report their tally: Bernie Sanders won by 2 delegates over Hillary Clinton.”

Heading to New Hampshire, both candidates have their own respective bragging rights. Clinton touts her experience and pragmatism which she claims will make her beat whoever will be the Republican Party’s nominee for president.

However, Clinton needs the support of the young and first time voters who overwhelmingly support Sanders for his progressive principles, and his consistent stand in his fight against income inequality, and the power of the riches of the rich Americans and corporation over the people in Washington, to the detriment of the 99 percent hardworking

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The lessons of Pol Pot, Idi Amin and El Salvador

DAVAO mayor and presidential hopeful Street Rodrigo Duterte has announced that part Talk of his platform of government is the extermination of criminals and corrupt public officials within six GREG B. MACABENTA months from assuming the presidency.

“Extermination,” as in kill them dead, like Flit Insect Spray.

The enthusiastic approval by Duterte’s supporters are reminiscent of movie audiences lustily cheering on Rambo as he exterminates the bad guys. Some of these Duterte fans are intelligent and knowledgeable. Thus, their endorsement of a policy considered illegal and unacceptable in civilized societies makes you wonder if Duterte may be justified after all.

There is a saying in Tagalog, “Kung hindi mo makuha sa santong dasalan, kunin mo sa santong paspasan.” (Loosely translated: If you can’t do it the nice way, do it the violent way.)

Perhaps the Dutertans (a term akin to Noranians and Vilmanians, to describe fans of Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos) have already given up on santong dasalan as a means to clean up our government and society and have decided that santong paspasan is the only way.

It could also be conceded that Duterte has the best and noblest of intentions - a vision of a Philippines cured of the cancer that Dr. Jose Rizal exposed in Noli Me Tangere. Without considering the gory means for achieving such an end, who would object to a country where there are no criminals in the streets and no thieves and extortionists in government?

And here is this presidential candidate who vows to deliver Utopia in six

months! Hallelujah!

But the problem lies in the murderous means Duterte intends to use to achieve his ends. In a previous column, I suggested that Duterte’s way is not the best way. I listed several instances of successful reforms and civil discipline being achieved without spilling blood, such as those in Lee Kwan Yew’s Singapore, Dick Gordon’s Olongapo and Jesse Robredo’s Naga City.

Apparently, the Dutertans were not impressed. I would, therefore, like to present the opposite scenario immortalized by such icons of mass extermination as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin and the death squads of El Salvador.

Some may protest that Duterte isn’t in that class and “will never be.” But where does he differ? Like them, Duterte sees himself as a Redeemer whose bloody means are justified by his noble ends.

Does he differ in magnitude? Well, what do you think will happen if he becomes president and institutes extra-judicial killings as a policy of the state?

Of course, I don’t believe we will ever see that gruesome fate befall our hapless country. In the first place, I doubt that Duterte actually believes his own bluster. If his supporters are hanging on to his every utterance, they should recall his admonition that the media should not take seriously everything he says. This was after he backtracked on his claim that he had presided over the extermination of 1,700 criminals – not just 700 - in Davao. Joke only, he seemed to say, in not so many words.

In the second place, Duterte will not win the presidency, assuming that he is

not disqualified by the Comelec.

If there are a few million fanatic Dutertans, there are millions more who know better than to elect a self-appointed judge, jury and executioner to lead the country. To use an American cliché, the Filipino people need a Duterte presidency like a hole in the head – or a bullet in the head.

Nonetheless, I think it serves a good purpose to go over the bloody history of those who pursued the transformation of their respective countries according to Duterte’s gory template.

Like Duterte, they must all have set out – in their own minds - with a vision of a country cleansed of every kind of social, political, economic and religious vermin, leaving only a happy and contented citizenry under a wise and benevolent leader.

Hitler believed in an Aryan super race, rid of the infestation of Jews whom he considered sub-human. His solution was the holocaust. Stalin staged a brutal purge of those he branded enemies of the working class, among the intelligentsia and within the Communist party, the military and the bureaucracy.

Millions were forced to work in the Gulag labor camps, imprisoned, exiled or executed without due process.

As prime minister of Kampuchea and leader of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot liquidated intellectuals and relocated urban dwellers to the countryside to work in collective farms and forced labor projects. Those he considered enemies of the state were summarily executed.

Millions died in Pol Pot’s killing fields, immortalized in the Hollywood film of the same title.

As president of Uganda and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Idi Amin mounted a campaign of ethnic cleansing which saw thousands

killed (the estimates range from 80,000 to 300,000) and Asians expelled from the country.

The El Salvador experience may be easier for Dutertans to relate to their idol’s proclivity for extra-judicial killings.

In a paper in the Foreign Policy Journal, Steve Dobransky wrote: “The civil war that raged in El Salvador from 1980 to 1992 is often described as a successful model for counterinsurgencies, which included the use of death squads. The Salvadoran model involved large numbers of paramilitary units that were privately funded or were officially and unofficially government forces (often just a change of clothes).

The death squads were guided by military, political, and economic elites.

They sought to eliminate not only the armed insurgents but anyone who may have been supportive or sympathetic to the insurgent cause. Their goal was to kill many and intimidate the millions of others into submission. The Salvadoran civil war waged viciously, as the rightwing government and economic elite contended with the left-wing forces led by the FMLN. An estimated 75,000 civilians died during the war, many attributed to death squads…The Salvadoran model quickly reached international dimensions when four American missionaries were brutally raped and murdered in December 1980 by Salvadoran military forces.”

The international spotlight suddenly focused on El Salvador and the involvement of the CIA in training and funding the death squads. When six Jesuit priests were murdered by the death squads, the US government was forced to threaten to cut off aid to the Salvadoran government unless the death squads were dismantled.

But the most shocking victim of the death squads was the Archbishop of San Salvador, Monsignor Oscar Romero, who was shot and killed while saying mass. According to a media report, Monsignor Romero was “felled by a single bullet as he prepared Communion, his blood soaking the holy bread in his hands at the altar.” He was assassinated shortly after he had made a public appeal to members of the death squads to stop the killings and to defy the unlawful orders of their superiors.

To go back to Duterte, how sure are his adoring supporters that all of the victims of his death squads were drug dealers and criminals? How about those killed on mere suspicion. And how many street children, disadvantaged by poverty, could have been led away from a life of vagrancy and could have gone on to become responsible members of Philippine society – even become candidates for president like the foundling Grace Poe and the orphan Jejomar Binay?

The horrible part of Duterte’s cure for the cancer afflicting our country is that he himself is morally sick. Anyone with a demented understanding of right and wrong has no right to pass judgement on the life or death of fellow human beings. Whatever his protestations of noble intentions might be, Duterte’s way is no better than that of other mass murderers like Pol Pot, Idi Amin and the killers of Monsignor Oscar Romero.

Just a few words of caution to the Dutertans. If your idol should ever become president, who will protect those of you who may happen to annoy members of the death squads? You may end up pining for the “good old days” when one could freely criticize Noynoy Aquino and his Tuwad na Daan without fear of being exterminated. (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

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8.

DATELINE PHILIPPINES

How real are Facebook friends?

Tagle learns social media lesson

arrangement of things” would speak much of their way of life.

“If your parish has a big space CEBU CITY — Manila Arch- for parking but no room for pasbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal toral formations, what does that Tagle learned a lesson about say about the culture of your social media that he would probably never forget.

Tagle said at the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) here on Thursday that he was approached by a woman who wanted to take a photograph with him.

She later told him that they were friends. <L:?8I@JK@: GIF:<JJ@FE% K_fljXe[j f] :Xk_fc`Zj af`e X gifZ\jj`fe ]ifd k_\ :\Yl ZXg`kfc Yl`c[`e^ kf GcXqX @e[\g\e[\eZ`X `e :\Yl :`kp “I looked at her but I could fe AXelXip )0# )'(-# k_\ Ô]kk_ [Xp f] k_\ @ek\ieXk`feXc <lZ_Xi`jk`Z :fe^i\jj# n`k_ ()#''' [\c\^Xk\j ]ifd .' Zfleki`\j% not remember how we became

@ehl`i\i%e\k g_fkf Yp D8i`Xee\ 9\idl[\q friends. She told me we’re friends on Facebook. Looking at my reaction, I think she immediately unfriended me,” Tagle said, drawing laughter from about 15,000 peoby PATRICIA LOURDES VIRAY ple gathered at the IEC Pavilion Philstar.com on Thursday morning.

“Now is that real or virtual?

MANILA — The Commission on In a digital culture, what is real Elections on Tuesday, February 2 means authenticity, integrity and presented its arguments before credibility,” he added. the Supreme Court in connection Real friendship is developed to the disqualification of presidenthrough time and one that can be tial aspirant Sen. Grace Poe. found in Jesus, Tagle said. “We The poll body earlier disqualilook for the authentic and credfied Poe from the presidential ible presence of Jesus.” race, citing residency and citiHe spoke on the theme, “The zenship issues.

Eucharist and the Dialogue with Commissioners Rowena GuanCultures.” zon and Arthur Lim presented It was his third time to speak the Comelec’s arguments before at the IEC, an event held every the high court. Lim was put unfour years. His first was in 2008 der interpellation. in Quebec and Dublin in 2012.

Associate Justice Mariano del K_\ :fdd`jj`fe fe <c\Zk`fej \Xic`\i [\Z`[\[ kf ZXeZ\c J\e% >iXZ\ Gf\Ëj Z\ik`ÔZXk\ f] During his lecture on Thursday, Castillo asked whether the Com- ZXe[`[XZp ]fi gi\j`[\ek% Tagle stressed the importance of elec has the jurisdiction to deculture that he said contained cide on the issue of citizenship. the en banc to extend the dura- initial list of candidates that the ways of “feelings, acting and the tion of the oral arguments Poe’s Comelec released last month.

He questioned why the poll body values of a society.” did not let the Presidential Elec- cases as there are only three The poll body is scheduled to In understanding one’s culmonths left before the elections. begin the printing of ballots by toral Tribunal to handle the proture, he said even “space and the Poe was still included in the February 8. ■ ceedings.

by ADOR

VINCENT S. MAYOL Inquirer.net

Comelec defends decision to disqualify Poe

Lim cited Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) which was the basis in cancelling Poe’s certificate of candidacy.

The Comelec commissioner stressed that the OEC has similarities with “quo warranto” proceedings due to the issue of eligibility.

Lim added that the poll body merely decided on “material misrepresentation.”

LIVE: Oral arguments on Poe vs Comelec - Day 3 Meanwhile, SC Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio asked

Iowa Surprises: Cruz beats Trump…

G8>< 8- t

middle class and poor Americans.

Clinton also needs to work on her other deficit — and that is the trust factor. Those who are not in her camp believes she has been in bed with Wall Street, corporations and big businesses who have contributed heavily to her campaign and paid her a lot of money for speeches. The Benghazi controversy and her email issues also add to this trust problem of Clinton.

On the other hand, Sanders has proven that even without help from Wall Street and big businesses, he

can win because of the help and support from the grassroots who believe in his cause. The Sanders campaign has exceeded all expectations and raised more money, all coming from ordinary voters with an average of $27 contribution each to help catapult him to be the next president of the United States. ***

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parish? Look at how we arrange people here (at the IEC Pavilion).

The bishops are in front while the others are at the back. What culture is being lived out here?”

Tagle said. ■

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COMMUNITY JOURNAL

9(

Business News

Philippines improves in world 3 well-loved US restaurant economic freedom index chains coming to PH Palace: Good governance is good economics

by YUJI

VINCENT GONZALES Inquirer.net

THE Philippines improved its ranking among the world’s freest economies as it jumped six notches in The Heritage Foundation’s 2016 Index of Economic Freedom, from 76th to 70th place.

The country recorded 63.1 out of 100 points, the highest score it received since the index started in 1995. This was higher than the 62.2 points that the Philippines recorded last year.

The Philippines was the 14th freest among 42 economies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Echoing the report, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda cited the country’s “management of public finance and progress in improving the entrepreneurial environment, including the government’s efforts to develop a more vibrant private sector” as factors in the improved ranking.

“These results once again affirm our belief that good governance is good economics. Apart from serving as a strong testament to the effectiveness of reforms, this positive news clearly shows how the Philippines has been progressing under the Aquino administration, and points toward even greater development—so long as we continue along the Straight Path,” Lacierda

said in a statement.

“During the next elections, it will be up to our Bosses to chart the country’s future—whether we will gainfully sustain this upward trajectory, or either return to the regressive ways of the past or head toward an uncertain future,” he added.

The Philippines steadily improved its score in the past years, recording a gain of six points since 2012.

“The index also noted the steady growth of the Philippine economy over the past five years, as well as the gradual modernization of the financial sector. In terms of regulatory efficiency, the report observed that the time and cost of dealing with licensing requirements have notably improved,” Lacierda said.

Hong Kong emerged as the freest economy with an overall score 88.6, followed by Singapore (87.8), New Zealand (81.6), Switzerland (81.0), and Australia (80.3).

North Korea (2.3), Cuba (29.8), Venezuela (33.7), Zimbabwe (38.2), and Turkmenistan (31.9) landed at the bottom of the list.

The Index of Economic Freedom, now on its 22nd year, “tracks the progress of economic freedom around the globe and documents the powerful positive impact of advancing economic liberty.” ■

Coke Femsa pouring in $800 M for PH expansion

by MARIANNE

Philstar.com

GO

MANILA — Newly installed Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines CEO Fabricio Ponce revealed on Tuesday, February 2, the company intends to invest up to $800 million, or $200 million a year, to expand its Philippine operations.

In his first meeting with local media on Tuesday, Ponce said the company remains committed to reinvest all profits in the Philippines up to 2020 despite incurring a $100 million loss in 2014, and achieving a breakeven financial result in 2015.

Coke Femsa Philippines is primarily involved in bottling operations. It operates only in the Philippines and does not export any of its products.

Coca-Cola Atlanta is the bever-

and fourth quarter growth was at six percent after a dismal first semester.

The new Coke CEO acknowledged this year would be “challenging” for the company as it faces headwinds from the Chinese devaluation and possible developments in Saudi Arabia, specifically involving possible job cuts for overseas Filipino workers.

Ponce warned that a possible loss of jobs in Saudi Arabia or the Middle East would affect the remittances of OFWs to their families here in the Philippines. =XYi`Z`f GfeZ\ The substantial drop in remitage parent company. tances, Ponce said, resulted in For 2016, Ponce said Coke the dismal performance of Coke Femsa Philippines is projecting a Femsa in the first half of 2015. five percent growth, tracking the However, Ponce is more hopecountry’s economic growth. ful of an improvement this year Last year, the company’s third u G8>< 9)

NORTH AMERICA

by VANESSA

B. HIDALGO

Inquirer.net

THE Bistro Group is increasing its stronghold in the casualdining market with the addition of three more international concepts to its portfolio.

Denny’s, Texas Roadhouse and Moe’s Southwest Grill will soon break ground in Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City, bringing to 14 the number of brands Bistro Group has under its belt.

Also part of its expansion plans, Bistro Group is opening additional branches of its existing restaurant concepts. These include TGIFriday’s in Mckinley Hill, Italianni’s in Boracay and Uptown Mall, Watami Japanese Casual Dining Restaurant and Buffalo Wild Wings also in Uptown Mall.

The Bistro Group, known for bringing TGIFridays to the Philippines, posted a double-digit growth in 2015.

“All our indicators for growth were up last year. That’s why we are always on the lookout for food that stands out. The brand equity must be something that will resonate with Filipinos,” says Jean Paul Manuud, president and

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CEO of The Bistro Group.

The ‘It’ Place Denny’s is a well-loved diner in the United States. For over 60 years, America has enjoyed Denny’s as the “it” place to sit back and enjoy hearty comfort food.

With over 1,700 stores worldwide except in Asia, Denny’s will set up shop for the first time in the region with the Philippines as its first destination.

The first Denny’s restaurant will rise in front of the Palace Poolside in Uptown Mall, which

Manuud says is an ideal location because “it’s a stand-alone, detached land and is open 24 hours.” Denny’s is set to open during the second quarter of 2016.

Manuud recounts it took Bistro Group two years of negotiations with Denny’s management before finally sealing the deal last year.

“They’ve had their eye on the Philippines already. They wanted a very dependable partner here

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P339-B Manila Bay flood control PPP project eyed SMC submitted the PPP project proposal to the Department of Public Works and CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Highways (DPWH) through Corp. has submitted a P338.8- San Miguel Holdings Corp. billion public-private partnership and jointly with New San Jose (PPP) project to construct a sea Builders Inc. barrier and flood control system The plan is to put up a coastal along Manila Bay alongside an sea barrier and flood control sysexpressway between the Nation- tem to “protect the Manila Bay al Capital Region and the prov- coastline.” ince of Bataan.

In the past few years, SMC The project also includes the president Ramon S. Ang had reclamation of part of Manila been talking about the possibilBay, SMC disclosed to the Philip- ity of the conglomerate helping pine Stock Exchange on Monday, build a flood control plan for the February 1. metropolis.

by DORIS

DUMLAO-ABADILLA Inquirer.net

TAIPEI

The new infrastructure project is bigger than the $2.7-billion Laguna Lakeshore expressway and dike project—to date the biggest to be offered by the Aquino administration under the PPP framework.

SMC is also expected to bid for the dike project, which seeks to develop a 47-kilometer sixlane expressway with a 45-kilometer control dike and reclaim 700 hectares of land. It is envisioned to ease traffic flow and mitigate flooding in the western coastal communities along the Laguna Lake. ■

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‘Sin’ tax take grows at record pace to P141 B

by PRINZ

P. MAGTULIS Philstar.com

MANILA — The third year of excise tax reforms pushed tobacco and liquor revenue collections to their fastest growth on record last year, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) reported yesterday.

The so-called “sin” taxes hit P141.84 billion, up a quarter from the previous year’s P112.81 billion.

The growth rate was the fastest on record tracing back to 1983, according to separate BIR data.

Broken down, revenues from cigarettes surged 32 percent to P100.02 billion, while those from fermented liquors increased 14 percent to P28.26 billion.

Collections from distilled spirits and compounded liquors, meanwhile, rose seven percent to P13.51 billion, while those from wines went up a quarter to P500 million.

“Sin tax collections growing by a full quarter on year is no small feat,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said in a statement.

The Department of Finance supervises the government’s revenue agencies, including the BIR. The BIR accounts for more than 80 percent of state yearly revenues.

“With the figures in for its third year of implementation, sin tax reform is a lesson in good governance,” Purisima said.

The finance chief is pertaining

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to Republic Act 10351, signed into law in 2012, which increased excise levies in tobacco and alcohol products for the first time in more than two decades.

The law, which provides specific excise rate adjustment until 2017, was packaged as a health measure to deter smoking and excessive drinking as well as provide funding for government health programs.

However, BIR figures also showed market supply of cigarettes and fermented liquors rose last year, suggesting increased consumption of sin products.

Cigarette packs increased 9.12 percent, while fermented liquors inched up 1.44 percent on liter terms. Distilled spirits and wines, meanwhile, decreased

4.19 percent.

“I expect (Internal Revenue) Commissioner (Kim) Henares and the BIR to continue to expand the fiscal space we need to invest more heavily in universal health care,” Purisima said.

Under the law, 85 percent of incremental revenues must go to universal healthcare program.

The remaining 15 percent is to finance support tobacco farmers displaced by the reform.

Excise taxes form part of total BIR collections, which were up 12 percent to P1.327 trillion as of November last year.

The BIR was tasked to collect P1.974 trillion in 2015. The government is scheduled to report its entire fiscal performance next month. ■

Coke Femsa pouring in $800 M for PH…

G8>< 9( t

due to the coming elections which has already resulted in a pick up in beverage sales.

At the same time, though, Ponce said a Chinese devaluation and its subsequent effect on import cost would adversely impact on the production of Coke Femsa as it imports a lot of its raw materials.

Ponce explained the Philippine market is very price sensitive and that Coke products compete not only with other beverage firms, Pepsi-Cola and RC Cola, but also with cellphone load.

Coke controls about 65 percent of the Philippine soda market.

Their best seller, he said, is the P7 Time Out Coke, and a previous attempt to adjust the price upward to P8 immediately resulted in a 50 percent drop in sales.

Fortunately, Ponce said Coke Femsa remains optimistic about

the economic prospects of the Philippines, thus the commitment to reinvest its revenues.

Sometime in July this year, the company is proceeding with the installation of two additional PT (plastic bottle) production lines as part of a previously announced $160 million investment program.

The $800 million investment of Coke Femsa, however, appears to be lower than the figure cited by another Coke executive.

In a previous interview with The STAR, Coca-Cola group president for Asia Pacific Atul Singh said Coca-Cola Atlanta, together with its bottling partner for the Philippines Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. (Femsa), would invest $1.2 billion until 2020 to expand its facilities and beef up distribution and operations in the country.

“The money would be invested in more manufacturing lines, in

trucks, in equipment, in distribution infrastructure, in marketing, in developing people, and training. So it’s a broad spectrum of investments across the board,” Singh said.

“We have high hopes of our business moving forward in the Philippines. The Philippines is a very important market to us and we have strong plans for it,” he added.

Singh said Coca-Cola has already invested $1.5 billion in the Philippines from 2010 to 2014.

He said the investment enhanced its distribution network and created over 2,000 new jobs for Filipinos.

According to Ponce, Coke Femsa currently employs 14,000 Filipinos and has 19 plants spread all over the country.

The Philippines is among the top three markets of Coca-Cola in Asia, with China as the biggest market. ■

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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA NO matter the season, the soul may go through what may be described as a “winter of discontent” — a restless time when we wonder quietly if we could trade our life for someone else’s.

If you are, don’t flog yourself silly. You don’t even have to admit it to anyone else but yourself.

It’s nothing more than a normal rite of passage that allows us to imagine what it would be like if we had someone else’s luck, genetic make-up, breaks, talent, connections, relations, education, intelligence, looks, skin color, pedigree and other x factors that are supposed to tip the scale in our favor and make us happy and fulfilled. In short, they refer to those things that we think will allow us to live a charmed life and drive our fellow men mad with envy.

The discontent hits you when you’re feeling most vulnerable: when there’s not enough cash to tide you over until the next pay period; your job stinks; you’re going through an extended rough patch with your wife or husband or lover; your car needs an over-

Barrister’s Corner ATTY. KENNETH URSUA REYES CONSIDER the common divorce scenario where the divorce judgment provides primary custody of the children to one spouse while the other spouse only gets visitation. The parties begin to file separate tax returns.

What are the tax consequences of the non custodial parents with regards to claiming the children in his or her return?

A non-custodial parent can no longer file as head of household, even if the non custodial parent is allowed to claim the children as dependents under the divorce judgment because this requires that the parent have custody of the children at least 6 months of the year. Non custodial parents also can no longer claim the earned income tax credit. However, the non custodial parent can claim the child tax credit

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Of charmed lives

“Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York.”

— William Shakespeare Richard III”

haul; your kid hit a schoolmate and you need to see the principal; your sister in the home country, needs you to remit moolah fast, and lots of it, because your younger brother got into trouble and needs bail money. Everything sucks.

Well, you get the picture of a gothic novel nobody wants to read. You want to scuttle everything and trade up to a charmed life. But would you, if you knew the real score behind those deceptively airbrushed images of the charmed lives we see on TV and the rags we read?

We are sitting ducks open to negative suggestions we receive non-stop. We end up unhappy and dissatisfied with who we are, what we have and our place in the universe. We’re too fat, too short, too poor, too old. We don’t make enough. We drive clunkers. Our clothes are passé.

Our nose bridge needs a lift; the chest is too flat; hair is too thin; skin is too sallow; our eyes need to be lasered; our teeth need

whitening; our ears stick out; our behinds, too saggy.

Picture the word REJECT stamped on our pathetic, little foreheads if we were in a conveyor belt in an assembly line, as we head directly to the recycling bin unless we undergo a drastic make-over that will cost us plenty.

We look and read about the airbrushed lives of celebrities on the red carpet. We see them parading and preening in their Pradas, Jimmy Choos, or Blahnik shoes, sheathed in thousand dollar Versace and Vera Wang gowns with décolletage showcasing ample natural or shored up cleavages, their gravity-defying faces tight with botox or nipped and tucked by a surgeon’s scalpel and dripping in Harry Winston gems, escorted by equally gorgeous hunks dressed to the nines in their Armanis, as media people buzz around them like flies around honey. And we’re hoodwinked to the vision of charmed lives.

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Tax consequences of divorced, non-custodial parents In the absence of a provision in the judgment which states otherwise, the parent with primary custody of the children is ordinarily entitled to claim the children as dependents for tax purposes. If a qualifying child is claimed as a dependent by both parents and the parents do not file a joint return, the child is normally treated as the qualifying child of the custodial parent IRC § 152(c)(4)(B)(i) However, the Code allows the dependency exemption and child tax credit to be shifted to the noncustodial parent when a child receives over one-half of the child’s support during the calendar year from the child’s parents who are either (i) divorced, (ii) legally separated, (iii) separated under a written separation agreement, or (iv) living apart at all times during the last six months of the calendar year. The child must be in the custody of one or both of

the child’s parents for more than one-half of the calendar year. IRC § 152(e) (1)(A) & (B) To shift the exemption and child tax credit to the noncustodial parent, the custodial parent must release or waive his or her claim to the exemption for the year by executing IRS Form 8332. IRC § 152(e) (2). The custodial parent can waive this right to claim the children as dependents and let the non custodial parent claim them by executing IRS Form 8332 and filing it with his or her return.

Certain Tax Court cases held that the waiver is effective even if the Form 8332 was not filled out in detail. In Bramante (T.C. Memo 2003-228), the custodial parent and agreed to waive her right to exemptions on Form 8332. The custodial parent realized that as her income increased, the value of the exemptions increased. The

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Calendar of Events across

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ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS = < 9 I L8 IP *

8 KX^Xcf^ Zfem\ijXk`fe n`k_ LJ:@J1 Ê?fn kf 9\Zfd\ X LJ :`k`q\eË United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites you and your relatives to attend a Tagalog-language community event on Wednesday, February 3rd, from 6:00–7:30pm, at the Carson Community Center (801 East Carson Street, Hall A, Carson, CA 90745). Representatives will go through the process and answer your questions about how to become a lawful citizen of the US. For more information about the event, please email us at Public.Engagement@uscis.dhs.gov.

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Gif]% <ei`hl\ Jfi`Xef KXcbj 8Yflk G_`c`gg`e\ 9lj`e\jj Xe[ =iXeZ_`j`e^ Fggfikle`k`\j Prof. Enrique Soriano, ASEAN Family Business Advisor and book author will be delivering a talk on Philippine business and franchising opportunities on February 4th in Boston. Free admission but reservations required. This is a wonderful opportunity for kababayans to learn about owning a business while still working in the US. This event was put together by BKP, a US based social enterprise group helping Filipino children to read their way out of poverty; the Philippine Consulate in New York, and the Harvard Philippine Forum.

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Le`m\ij`kp f] k_\ <Xjk KXl 8cg_X J`^dX K8J =iXk\ie`kp >fc[\e 8ee`m\ijXip Please join us in congratulating TAS for their Golden (50th) Anniversary to be held at Tower Club, Philamlife Building in Makati, Philippines on February 5, 2016. All brothers from all over the world are encouraged to attend. There will be fun–filled activities including dancing, singing, reminiscing college days, golf, trips to Bicol, Batangas, and Tagaytay and reconnecting with both old and new TAS brothers and their spouses. Those who have not yet confirmed their attendance, please contact: (USA) Bernie Lim (bernielim@sbcglobal. net) & Rene Marcos (rmarcos_cpa@verizon.net); (PHILIPPINES) Rodrigo Mangay-ayam (rodman0983@yahoo.com.ph) & Manny Bautista (Manuel.D.Bautista@ph.ey.com).

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<X^c\ IfZb ?`^_ JZ_ffc Dfek_cp Fg\e ?flj\ Kflij Eagle Rock High School invites the community to International Baccalaureate Open House Tours, from 8-10am during the spring semester on Friday, February 5; Friday, March 11; and Friday, April 1. Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School serves students in grades 712, and was the first school in the LAUSD to be authorized to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (grades 7-10) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (grades 11-12), a project-based program for concept and content-based learning to promote global mindedness and service to others. The IB Open House is open to all interested students, and will include an introductory presentation in the ERHS library, followed by campus tours, classroom visits, and a short questionand-answer period. To register for the Open Houses, please visit www.erhs.la, and click on the “IB Open House Registration” link. Please email Mylene Keipp mylene.keipp@lausd.net for more information. We look forward to your visit!

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D`jj DX^j`e^Xc Fi^Xe`qXk`fe f] 8d\i`ZX :fifeXk`fe ;`ee\i$;XeZ\ The Officers and Members of Miss Magsingal Organization of America (MOA) cordially invites townmates and friends to attend our Miss MOA 2016-17 Coronation and Dinner/Dance on Feb. 6, from 5:00pm -12 midnight at the Hilton of Stockton (2323 Grand Canal Blvd, Stockton, CA). Our Royal Court to be honored and crowned are: Her Majesty Queen, Jillian Foronda; 1st Princess, Jemina Atanaya; and 2nd Princess, Jeramae Luczon. Attire is formal, dinner is $50/person, with live band entertainment. Limited seats are available on a first come first serve basis. For more details, please call Tereso U (209) 603-8440, Lanie (209) 814-8004, and Grace (209) 817-5674. Thank you.

Jk% =`eYXi :Xk_fc`Z :_liZ_ MXc\ek`e\Ëj ;`ee\i ;XeZ\ When: Saturday, February 6 from 7:00 - 11:00pm.

Cost per ticket: $30.

For more information on all events, please contact Marian Nobleza at 818-219-6463.

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8e @ek`dXk\ E`^_k n`k_ D`^l\c M\iX Beat the Valentine’s Day rush and get your tickets to “An Intimate Night with Miguel Vera,” a special Valentine Show featuring Miguel Vera, performing the greatest OPM hits and romantic Filipino classics by Cayabyab, Canseco, and Cruz. The one-night-only concert will take place at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel (7675 Crescent Ave, Buena Park, CA 90620) on February 12 at 8:00pm. Special guests include Annie Nepomuceno and Kit Navarro. Please call (714) 814-0412 or (818) 913-329 for tickets and information. Tickets are $40 each.

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G::?J& GLGC?J (00- >fc[\e AlY`c\\ The Philippine College of Commerce High School Laboratory Batch 1966 (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines) will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee from February 20-21 in Manila, Philippines. According to the President of the PCCHS Batch ‘66 Alumni Association, ROLAND ATIENZA, about 55 batchmates from Australia, Canada and USA have confirmed attendance to the Homecoming and 50 from Manila local chapter. Activities lined up for the Golden Jubilee Celebration are as follows: February 20, 2016 -- 6:00-12:00 pm. Formal Program/Dinner at the Banahaw Ballroom, The Legend Villas, Mandaluyong City, Philippines February 21, 2016 -- 8:00 am - 9:00 pm - Visit the ANAWIM Home for the Abandoned Elderly, Montalban, Rizal Province (Fellowship/Lunch/Donate basic needs of the elderly) - Tour of Manila (Former PCCHS in Lepanto, Intramuros Tour (old churches and Cathedral, Rizal Park, Fort Santiago) - Dinner/Cultural Show, at Barbara’s, Intramuros February 22, 2016 - BREAKUP GROUP (To Palawan, Laguna and respective hometown provinces of the guests) For inquiries, please contact the following members of the CORE group: Agnes T. Sule #09165567000 suleagnes@yahoo.com, Roland Atienza #09062947156 atienza8@yahoo.com, Rebecca T. Sayed 09064032624 rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com, Lourdes T. Flores lulutflores@yahoo.com, Rebecca Sayed rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com.

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>B LJ8 EXk`feXc Jldd`k )'(There is no better time for Gawad Kalinga (GK) to present the Philippines as the new land of opportunity, with a steadily rising economy--the fastest growing in the world next to China, according to Bloomberg--and alleviating poverty. GK continues to evolve as a movement, starting with philanthropy expanding to sustainability, and creating hybrid, innovative systems to end poverty. The Summit will provide an opportunity for Filipinos, GK volunteers, partners, and millennials to reconnect with their homeland, contribute to their country and social entrepreneurship, and help to build bridges for a thriving nation. Asian Americans will have a taste of the emerging market of world-class, affordable Philippinemade products, such as Bayani Brew, First Harvest Peanut Spreads, Human Nature beauty products, and Theo Philo chocolates. Support GK’s humanitarian efforts to provide home and livelihood to the poorest of the poor, and learn about GK, GK USA, and GK Enchanted Farm programs. The Summit will take place from March 4-6, 2016, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). To register, please visit gk-usa.org.

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Jkf% KfdXj# 9XkXe^Xj 8jjfZ`Xk`fe =`\jkX The Sto. Tomas, Batangas Association of Southern California will celebrate their fiesta on Sunday, March 13, at 1:00pm at Sliver Star Financial office (217 N Azusa St. Azusa, CA).

For further details, please call Willie Manacsa (818) 400-7391, Ofie Villanueva (626) 3834152, Rosie Sancianco (951) 898-7628 or Myrna Jaurigue at (909) 545-9876.

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Debt Relief ATTY. LAWRENCE YANG CLIENT has had an on going “battle” with Wells Fargo for justice on her mortgage since 2007.

It’s been 9 years since she made the mistake of refinancing her fully paid house with World Savings Bank. Yes, client was already a senior 9 years ago when she decided to borrow $250K against her house, which had no more mortgage! Apparently, a relative had asked her for some money to finance a business, and being the doting aunt that she was, she gladly but mistakenly, obliged.

The question then was where should she get the refinance loan? She spoke to an agent of a very popular mortgage loan broker who offered her a fixed 30-year mortgage at 2% per annum. The broker told her that the interest rate was so low, it would make her cry, that the mortgage payment would be fixed for 30 years, and that she could even choose from several amounts of mortgage payments, depending

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Client files chapter 13 while hoping for a loan modification of mortgage Client seeks chapter 7 relief for $78K credit card debt

on which one she would be most comfortable with.

She signed all the loan documents without reading them as most seniors would do. After paying for two years, she noticed that the loan balance, instead of decreasing, was increasing!

Eventually, she got a letter from Wells Fargo informing her that the bank had taken over the loan.

In addition, Wells Fargo said that she had a default of $20,000, and that if this amount was not paid in full immediately, foreclosure of her residence would ensue.

When she called the famous loan broker to ask what was going on, she was told that the loan broker was being criminally indicted for a massive loan mortgage fraud scheme. It was only then that client realized that she had been duped. She did some research and found out that Wells Fargo

had taken over the loans of World Savings, including hers, and that Wells Fargo was actually trying to make things right for the victims of this “massive” fraud as part of the settlement with the Attorney General’s office as well as part of the Federal “bail out” funds.

She called Wells Fargo and was given the run around. Wells Fargo wrote her many letters saying that they were going to look into the matter and would get back to her within 30 days. The 30 days dragged into 7 years without any resolution. Wells Fargo started foreclosure proceedings and client paid off the entire default of $57K. It was back to square one for a while then the problem resurfaced. Client hired a succession of lawyers who all went against a brick wall because client did not want to sue; all she wanted was to

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Why everyone needs estate planning

MY grandfather is one of the greatest men I have ever known.

After fighting in the Philippines during World War II, he talked his way past guards at a U.S. Navy recruiting center and was one of only two men from his town that were accepted into the United States Navy. When he completed his tours of duty he was granted U.S. citizenship and raised five children. Working odd jobs, my grandfather taught himself math and despite never having any formal education in this country, he was able to make a living day trading stocks!

Despite all of the amazing things my grandfather was able to accomplish, one thing never made sense to him: the need to have a solid estate plan. After many years of nagging from my grandmother and the rest of our family, he finally gave in and went to an estate planning attorney and created a living trust, will, and powers of attorney.

Just a few short months later, my grandfather suffered a massive stroke; a few weeks later he passed on.

That whole period was a blur of grief and sadness so avoid-

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ing probate was the last thing on any of our minds. Only after the dust settled could we appreciate how beneficial my grandparents’ proper estate planning had been.

Because my grandfather had created a healthcare power of attorney, my grandmother was able to talk to his doctors and make healthcare decisions according to his wishes. Because he had executed a power of attorney for assets, my grandmother was able to access his investments to pay for hospital expenses.

Most importantly, because he had created a living trust, our family was able to avoid the long and costly process of pro-

EMPLOYMENT

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bate. My grandfather was of that old school thinking of marriage where he held many assets in only his name. If he had not created the trust, his assets would have had to been distributed through probate.

What is probate? It is a court process where the deceased person’s assets are distributed to his or her heirs. This is a costly procedure, in both time and money.

Probate fees can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars, possibly hundreds of thousands.

Since this is done under the direct management of the Probate court, your assets and family’s identities would become public record.

How do you avoid dealing with this costly procedure during a time where the family should be grieving and taking care of each other? You can create something called a living trust. The creation of a living trust results in a legal entity, separate from yourself. Your assets are placed into the trust where you remain in full control of them during your lifetime as you are the initial trustee of your trust.

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Why everyone needs…

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If you become incapacitated, your chosen successor trustee would then manage your trust assets for you. As the trustee has considerable authority and responsibility without the supervision of the court, choosing the right trustee to act for you is important. A trusted family member is most common but it

is possible to have a bank or trust company act as trustee.

At the time of your passing, the person you name as the successor trustee would then gather your assets, pay any debts, claims, and taxes, and then distribute your assets according to the instructions you have set forth in the trust, all without court supervision and fees. The

Client files chapter 13…

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3 well-loved US restaurant…

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though. So we work hand-inhand with them, from choosing the locations, construction, up to the day we finally open our doors,” he says.

He says the growth story of Denny’s is also an inspiration to the Bistro Group.

Denny’s evolution from a holein-the-wall dining place to one of the world’s most recognizable brands is a fascinating story, one that must be emulated by homegrown brands, he says.

“As a company, one of our strengths is being able to discern what the market craves.

So when it comes to choosing our brands, we look at it not just from a business perspective but also from a customer’s point of view,” he says.

Long Queue It was the long queue at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Dubai that caught the eye of Manuud’s team when they were seeking new concepts abroad.

“The place was packed. While the other restos only had a handful of people dining,” says Manuud.

Texas Roadhouse is known

for recreating the same look and menu of authentic Texas roadhouses that offer hand-cut steaks and fall-off-the-bone ribs with sides made from scratch.

Founded in 1993, Texas Roadhouse is recognized as the No. 1 steakhouse in America. The restaurant chain was voted by Forbes magazine as one of the best companies in the United States.

In addition to the increasing purchasing power of Filipinos, Manuud also notes of the increasing sophistication of the Pinoy’s palate.

“We’ve seen Filipinos’ evolving tastes and sophistication when it comes to food, which is why we’re optimistic and confident that the market will embrace these restaurant concepts,” he says.

Fresh Ingredients Moe’s Southwest Grill, on the other hand, is described as a fun and engaging restaurant where guests can choose their own ingredients from more than 20 fresh ingredients to create their own burritos, tacos and quesadillas.

“We share the same food phi-

Tax consequences of divorced…

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custodial parent discovered that her Social Security number was missing on the form and that the noncustodial parent, had dated the form in his handwriting. The tax court still upheld the waiver as effective despite the missing details from Form 8332.

In Boltinghouse, the IRS argued that missing details in the separation agreement defeated the waiver (T.C. Memo 2003134). In this case, the parties executed a separation agreement allowing the non custodial parent to claim one of his children, but the non custodial parent did not file a Form 8332. As a result, the court had to decide whether the agreement conformed in substance to Form 8332. The IRS contended that the agreement was not in substance a Form 8332 because it did not reflect the years the exemptions were to be waived and it did not provide Social Security numbers for the parents. Although the IRS pointed to some cases in which the Tax Court had rejected waivers that were ambiguous as to the applicable years, the Tax Court said that it was clear that this agreement applied to the years the parents began filing separate returns. As in Bramante, lack of Social Security numbers was not considered a serious defect by the Tax Court.

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The custodial parent can waive the dependent exemption each year or for a number of years.

The non custodial parent should file form 8332 with his or her tax return in order to be entitled to the exemption. To avoid any confusion and tax issues with the IRS, the parties should attempt to agree or resolve in court the issue of who will claim the dependency exemption of the children as part of the divorce judgment.

Parties should seek the assistance of an experienced attorney to weed through complex family law issues. *** 8kkfie\p B\ee\k_ LijlX I\p\j `j X :\ik`Ô\[ =Xd`cp CXn Jg\Z`Xc`jk% ?\ nXj Gi\j`[\ek f] k_\ G_`c`gg`e\ 8d\i`ZXe 9Xi 8jjfZ`Xk`fe% ?\ `j X d\dY\i f] Yfk_ k_\ =Xd`cp cXn j\Zk`fe Xe[ @dd`^iXk`fe cXn j\Zk`fe f] k_\ Cfj 8e^\c\j :flekp 9Xi 8jjfZ`Xk`fe% ?\ _Xj \ok\ej`m\ :G8 \og\i`\eZ\ gi`fi kf cXn giXZk`Z\% C8N F==@:<J F= B<EE<K? I<P<J# G%:% `j cfZXk\[ Xk *-00 N`cj_`i\ 9cm[%# Jl`k\ .+.# Cfj 8e^\c\j# :8# 0''('% K\c% )(* *//$(-(( fi \$dX`c bli\p\jcXn7^dX`c%Zfd fi m`j`k fli n\Yj`k\ Xk B\ei\p\jcXn%Zfd%

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Of charmed…

Imagine that God sees how unhappy you are, takes pity on you and he gives you access to His Celestial PowerBook, with a database cataloging the lives of the past, present and future of the seven billion or so people that inhabit the world. He permits you to type in the name of the person you would like to exchange your life with. You discover surprising twists and turns of character and fate. You discover dirt that has been airbrushed or little dark secrets edited out or given a new spin. You discover untold pain and suffering, the great equalizers, etched in every life.

That gorgeous, woman hiding behind a ready smile has a young daughter with cystic fibrosis and is going through a bitter divorce with a philandering husband. The good-looking guy you thought was to die for is a closet pedophile cum sado-masochist.

The distinguished couple you met who lacks for nothing, has a son languishing in jail. That tall, reedthin Victoria’s Secret lingerie model suffers from bulimia. That hottie celebrity is a wife beater and is in rehab for serious addictions. You go through the entire universal data base frustrated and somewhat relieved to find out that your own life with all its warts, is just as bad or just as good as those of others and there’s no one you’d like to trade your life with, thank you very much.

In most cases, the life we have is the life we would choose all over again. We just need to re-

alize that there’s always more to a story and an image than meets the eye. Packaging can be mere illusion. What you see is not necessarily what you get, ergo, the need to dig deep. We are all programmed to go through great lengths to put up a deceptive front to hide the truth — either goaded by ego or the instinct for self-preservation.

A self-respecting gardener winterizes the grass and preps it for the cold, dark days of winter to give it a fighting chance to survive and thrive in the spring and summer. We ought do the same thing and winterize the garden of our soul to keep it young and hopeful.

I wish I could say it’s easy. But like anything that is worthwhile, it takes time, patience, work, persistence and gumption. But we could start with something basic. Upon waking up each day, we can psyche ourselves up with an unfailing weapon of choice — PRAYER. Personalized and heartfelt, it is our instant connection with the God of our being.

These can merely be secular, positive affirmations of our own worth and place in this life or it can be the simple act of prayerful acceptance and thanksgiving for all that was, is and yet to come.

Chances are, you’re already living one heck of a charmed life and you don’t even know it. *** EfkX 9\e\1 Dfe\kk\ 8[\mX DX^cXpX `j JMG f] 8j`Xe AflieXc GlYc`ZXk`fej# @eZ% Kf j\e[ Zfdd\ekj# \$dX`c dfe\kk\%dX^cXpX7 Xj`XeaflieXc`eZ%Zfd

losophy with Moe’s. Everything has to be fresh. It has to be served fresh every day,” Manuud says.

He says Moe’s, which first opened its doors in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000, does not use the usual sit-down casual dining format favored by other brands.

“We’d like to try something different with Moe’s,” he says.

Manuud says being in the food business for 21 years taught him that consistency is essential.

“We try to be consistent with our store, to offer rock-solid service to our guests and keep on reinventing ourselves. As we move forward in 2016, we will always carry with us our commitment and passion for quality dining,” he says. ■

have the matter amicably resolved by negotiation.

Now there is a default of $40K, and Wells Fargo wants to foreclose yet again. She now retains me for a Chapter 13 to stop the foreclosure and to negotiate a settlement with the bank without a lawsuit. Fortunately, I was able to get some positive response with the bank saying that they are now having their legal department look into it, and that they would propose a settlement by next week. It remains to be seen whether the bank is now serious in resolving this matter, or if they are bluffing again.

Second client is 74. Her husband left her 20 years ago. She was able to sell the family home a couple of years ago with a net profit of $200K. Then, disaster struck. Her only son got sick, lost his job because of his illness and became her dependent. She had to take care of her 40-year old son, who moved in with her.

Medical insurance would not pay for a lot of the expenses. So, the

$200K evaporated after 3 years.

After that, she relied on credit cards to pay for her son’s medical bills. Fortunately, her son got well and will son be joining the work force again. The problem is she now owes $78K of credit cards. The minimum payment is $3K a month. She only gets social security of $1800 and a pension of $500. She is able to pay her rent of $800. But there is just no way she can pay the 78K of credit cards. So at 74, client decides to wipe out all her credit card debt and obtain a fresh start!

“Let God (Adonai/Yahweh) have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.” — 1 Peter 5:7

! ! !

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trustee does have a fiduciary duty towards you and your beneficiaries; he or she cannot use your trust assets for personal gain, but must respect your wishes. You can also change or amend your trust at anytime, removing or changing trustees and beneficiaries!

With all of these benefits, why did it take so much convincing to get my grandfather to do estate planning and create a living trust? One explanation is that he thought that living trusts were only for the rich. However, anyone who owns a home needs a living trust.

Over time, we have established a strong, hardworking Filipino community and many of us own homes and other assets, necessitating the need to avoid probate. My family was lucky, as my grandfather created a living trust before he passed. Unfortunately, there are many other grandfathers out there that have not created a comprehensive estate plan. Consulting with an estate planning attorney can save your family a lot of time, money, and headaches. *** <c[\i CXn J\im`Z\j f] :Xc`]fie`X `j gifl[ kf XeefleZ\ k_Xk Xkkfie\p 8e[i\n GXiXeXc _Xj af`e\[ `kj kiljk [\gXikd\ek% Di% GXiXeXc Y\^Xe _`j ZXi\\i `e \jkXk\ gcXee`e^ `e )'(* Xe[ _Xj j`eZ\ \ogXe[\[ `ekf Xjj\k gifk\Zk`fe Xe[ D\[`$:Xc gcXee`e^% ?\ Y\ZXd\ `ek\i\jk\[ `e <c[\i CXn X]k\i _\cg`e^ ZXi\ ]fi X ]Xd`cp d\dY\i n_f \og\i`\eZ\[ X [\Y`c`kXk`e^ \m\ek% Di% GXiXeXc `j \oZ`k\[ kf af`e Xe \jkXYc`j_\[ cXn Ôid Xe[ _fg\j kf \[lZXk\ _`j =`c`g`ef Zfddle`kp XYflk k_\ ki\d\e[flj Y\e\Ôkj f] gifg\i \jkXk\ gcXee`e^% =fi dfi\ `e]fidXk`fe# gc\Xj\ m`j`k \c[\icXnZXc`]fie`X%Zfd fi ZXcc ($/''$+(($',+ 8[m\ik`j`e^ Jlggc\d\ek

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MDWK Wednesday, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 3, 2016

The Big Game: What to expect at Super Bowl 50

by AJPRESS ON Sunday, Feb. 7, football teams Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will come face-to-face at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California for Super Bowl 50.

This marks the third straight season that the number one seeds from both conferences will meet in the Super Bowl.

The Carolina Panthers finished the regular season with a 15-1 record, defeating the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football Conference Championship game. This is the team’s second Super Bowl appearance since the founding of the franchise in 1995.

The Denver Broncos, with a 12-4 season record, defeated the New England Patriots in the American Football Conference Championship Game, marking the team’s eighth appearance in the Super Bowl.

This year marks the 50th edition of the Super Bowl, and is the first time the big game will be played in California

since 2003, and first in the San Francisco Bay Area since Super Bowl XIX in 1985. Levi’s Stadium is home of the San

Football 101

Francisco 49ers.

The game, which starts at 3:30 pm PST/6:30 EST on Sunday, will be broadcast on CBS with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in the booth and Tracy Wolfson on the sidelines. The game will also be live streamed on CBSSports.com.

Each Super Bowl game is named with Roman numerals, but this year, the tradition was temporarily suspended in favor of Arabic numerals. Roman numerals will return next season for Super Bowl LI, the National Football League (NFL) said.

Whether you’re a football fanatic or just want to tune in to see the Halftime show and commercials, the Asian Journal explores the different facets that make Super Bowl Sunday an unofficial American holiday and one of the most popular television events.

Before you head to a Super Bowl party on Sunday, learn/brush up on football lingo OBJECT of the game: To outscore the opposing team.

TERMS Down: A period of action that begins as soon as the ball is put into play and ends when the ball is ruled dead, when a player is tackled or if the ball goes out of bounds. The offensive team is given four downs to advance the ball 10 yards. Should it fail to do this, the offense must surrender the ball to the defensive team, which it typically does by punting on the final down.

Fumble: The act of losing possession of the ball while running before a tackle or score occurs. Members of both teams can recover a tackle. Should the defense obtain the ball, it is called a turnover. A fumble can also occur if a reciever losses the ball after a catch. by the offensive team that is Interception: A pass made caught by the defensive player.

Photo from Super Bowl 50 at Leviʼs Stadium official Facebook page

Always on a Sunday: The history of the Super Bowl ONE of America’s biggest sport events started with two things: the merging of the American Football League (AFL) with the National Football League (NFL), and a rubber ball.

In 1966, the NFL-AFL World Championship Game began as part of the merger between the two organizations. The name “Super Bowl” came from Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, after watching his daughter play with a “Super Ball” — a small, high-bouncing ball that was very popular at that time.

The name was supposed to be only temporary, until the powers that be could think of something better.

The first championship took place in 1967 and was named “The NFL-AFL World Championship Game.” The official title was quite long, so the fans as well as the media took to the short, unofficial name, Super Bowl—which in 1969 became official.

The sports event determines who wears the crown after a long series of elimination games.

The first Super Bowl was on

January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum with the Green Bay Packers beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.

The Super Bowl has always been on a Sunday, usually the last Sunday in January. However, for the first time in its history, it was held in February 3, 2002.

This was due to the September 11, 2001 attacks, which made all TV schedules delayed by one week. Today, Super Bowl has also been scheduled in February since 2014.

The games are identified

by Roman numerals rather that numbers since 1971. However, in 2014, it was announced that for its fiftieth year, the game will not be using Roman numerals as they did not like “L” as “50.” As a result, they are breaking tradition for one year and will resume to “LI” to represent 51 for 2017.

The winner of each Super Bowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after Vince Lombardi, coach for the Green Bay Packers. He led his team to victory in each of the first two Super Bowls. (Malou LiwanagBledsoe/AJPress)

Interesting facts about the Super Bowl:

Illustration by Kendrick Tan

This ends the offense’s possession of the ball.

Kick off: An action that Continued on Page 7

• Crime takes a day off: In 1985, when the San Francisco 49ers played the Super Bowl in Palo Alto, California, the crime rate in San Francisco dropped 75 percent!

• It is estimated that 45 percent of all US homes tune in to watch the Super Bowl.

• From cheap to $$$.

Tickets weren’t always pricey.

The cost of tickets to the very first game was around $6. Today, you’d be lucky if you find a ticket for less than $3,000, depending on the game,

teams, location, seating and also the economy.

• Face value vs demand value. Ticket prices also change because of their “face value” against “demand value.” For example, a ticket may have a face value of $900, but the actual demand value may range from $5,500 to $11,000.

• Get lucky. Every year the NFL has a lottery in which 500 names are drawn out of a hat for a chance to buy a pair of tickets at their face value.

More than football: Super Bowl’s halftime shows Halftime Hots: Some of the most memorable performances in Super Bowl history AS eager It was football fans less than five prepare to months after watch their September respective 11, and the teams to battle country was it out on the still reeling field, millions from the of viewers too tragedy. How are anticipatdo you presing Coldplay, ent halftime Beyonce and and still show Bruno Mars in sensitivity to a the halftime very touching show for Super issue? Bring Bowl 50. Will in U2. The they fare betgroup included ter than past a 9/11 tribute high-rating to their perperformances, formance of or will they “Where the belong to some Streets Have of the most Bruno Mars Photo by Raoul Gatchalian No Name,” boring shows in with a scrolling SB history? For backdrop of now, we can only guess and give names of all the victims who you some of the best and worst died in the attacks. halftime shows: The Queen “B”: Beyonce, King of Pop, Michael Jack- 2013 son, 1993 Multimedia indulgence in With the goal of keeping its finest covered Bey’s perthe viewers glued, the National formance of her hits such as Football League (NFL) brought “Bootylicious,” “Independent in no less than the King of Pop, Women,” and “Single Ladies.”

Michael Jackson. Although MJ It was also a mini-reunion for lip-synched his way to halftime, Destiny’s Child, when ex-memviewers went into frenzy with a bers Kelly Rowland and Michelle medley of hits like “Billie Jean” Williams shot out from under and “Black and White.” It was the stage for “Bootylicious.” Of also a good way to clean up course, apart from the dozens his image, as reports of child of female dancers, fireworks, sexual abuse against the pop smoke and animation screen; star was starting to come out. viewers went wild over Bey’s To present his message of peace seizure-inducing dance skills. and harmony, he concluded his Old school dynamic perforperformance with “Heal the mance: Bruno Mars, 2014 World,” backed up by 3,500 He’s not voluptuous like youngsters.

Beyonce, or as seasoned as Nipplegate: Janet Jackson Madonna, but Fil-Am Bruno and Justin Timberlake, 2004 Mars took the stage and owned The duo’s performance it with his old-fashioned sense was not as memorable as the of showmanship. His 12-minute “wardrobe malfunction” that display showed his talent in happened. Towards the end singing, dancing and drums— of their number, JT “accidenwithout exuding an ounce of tally” exposed JJ’s “bedazzled” star ego. This friendliness vibe breast for millions of viewers to made the audience love him see. After fines, appeals and more in his performance of the outrage, it still remains a his hits such as “Locked Out debate whether the faux pas of Heaven,” “Treasure” and was part of their act. closed with “Just the Way You In memoriam: U2, 2002 Continued on Page 7

APART from guessing which teams made it to the Super Bowl, the most anticipated news about the event is who’s going to perform during the halftime show. The last two decades has given football fans a concertlike feel with crazy production designs, costumes, fireworks and outstanding performances of various popular artists. This year for NFL’s golden anniversary, Super Bowl will feature past performers Beyonce and Fil-Am Bruno Mars.

They will join Coldplay for the halftime show at Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

However, the SB halftime shows weren’t that entertaining before. Initially, the goal of the SB halftime show was to fill the void and keep the fans entertained—those who weren’t stuck in lines at concession stands or the bathrooms.

Band camp, star power and Disney Early shows drew less attention and press, as they featured patriotic halftimes performance by school marching bands.

The first SB in 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum had the University of Arizona Band, Grambling College Band and trumpeter Al Hirt entertained the audiences, minus, of course any kind of commercialization.

The band phase went on until SB XI, but through the years NFL would insert a few star power like Broadway and movie star Carol Channing (SB IV and VI), singer Anita Bryant (SB V), jazz great Ella Fitzgerald, and singer Andy Williams.

The Walt Disney production also became a part of SB, starting with the Mousketeers in 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, 1984 for SB XVIII, with an explosion of floats, balloons, dancers, Disney characters and of course, Mickey Mouse himself; and 1987 with Disney’s Salute to Hollywood featuring George Burns and Mickey Rooney.

Big stars, super stages Although the gigantic 1970s singing ensemble Up With People performed at four halftime shows (1976, 1980, 1983 and 1986), they weren’t really the most memoContinued on Page 7

Super Bowl 50

3

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 3, 2016

Fil-Am to know: Jordan Norwood Denver Broncos wide receiver

During 2014’s Super Bowl Xlviii, The Filipino-american Community Rallied Behind The Seattle Seahawks To Support Fil-am Football Star Doug Baldwin.

That Excitement Is Seen Once Again For This Year’s Super Bowl 50 As Fil-am Wide Receiver Jordan Norwood Heads Onto The Field With The Denver Broncos.

Jordan Signed On To Play With The Broncos During The 2014 Off-season.

After Graduating From Penn State In 2008, Where He Played College Football, Jordan Signed Onto The Cleveland Browns As An Undrafted Free Agent In 2009. Prior To Joining The Broncos Family, He Did Stints With The Philadelphia Eagles And Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

During These Collective Seasons With The Eagles (2009), Browns (2010-12) And Broncos (2014-present), His Record Includes 48 Receptions, 493 Yards And One Touchdown.

Born In Honolulu To Brian And Tiffiney Norwood, Jordan Has Been Surrounded By Football Since Birth. His Father Brian Played College Football For The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors And Played One Year In The Nfl As A Defensive Back For The Calgary Stampeders. From 2001 To 2007, Brian Served As Secondary Coach At Penn State And Currently Works As The

Jordan Norwood with his wife Aleah and daughter Franni

Assistant Head Coach At Baylor University.

From Their Half-filipino Mother Tiffiney, Jordan And His Siblings Get Their Filipino Blood And Identify As Quarterfilipino.

Jordan’s Older Brother Gabe Currently Plays For The Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters In The Philippine Basketball Association (Pba).

Tune In To This Sunday’s Super Bowl 50 To Catch The Fil-am In Action. (AJ Press)

QUICK FACTS ABOUT SUPER BOWL 2016 ADVERTISING Number of ads: 40+ Average cost of commercials in 2016: 30 seconds: $4.8 million Per second: $160,000 Total ad spending in 2016 (adjusted for inflation): $376.8 million

COMMERCIALS TO LOOK OUT FOR • Bud Light, featuring Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen • Wix.com, which has partnered with DreamWorks Animation to also promote the upcoming release of “Kung Fu Panda 3” • “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” a Disney film set for release in May. The commercial the voice of the Alan Rickman, who is famously known for portraying Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series and passed away on Jan. 14.

Making their debut: • Paypal • Colgate • Amazon, featuring Alec Baldwin and Dan Marino • Hyundai, featuring Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds in separate 60-second ads • Pokemon • LG

Auto makers: • Acura • Audi • Buick • Honda • Mini (BMW) • Toyota

SUPER BOWL ADVERTISING OVER THE YEARS • Adjusted for inflation, total ad spending on commercials during the Super Bowl from 1967 to 2016 is $5.9 billion • Super Bowl commercial prices fell in five years: 1971, 1996, 2003, 2007 and 2010 • In 1973, the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial cost $100,000 • In 1967, the first Super Bowl, ads cost $1,333 per second • Total ad spending in the first Super Bowl in 1967 was $12.4 million (adjusted for inflation) *Data from Ad Age and superbowlcommercial2016.org.

4

Super Bowl inspired recipes The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 3, 2016

Fresh Lumpia with a Tamarind Soy Dipping Sauce Yield: Generous for 4-6 people Ingredients: 1 jicama 2 medium carrots, or bag of shredded carrots 1 cup rice wine vinegar 1 bag bean sprouts, raw Romaine lettuce 2 packages tofu, extra firm Soy sauce Patis 1-2 tablespoons Sesame oil 1 package (25-count) frozen lumpia wrappers Sauce: 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon tamarind soup stock dissolved in 2 cups water 1 tablespoon corn starch, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water 1/2 cup brown sugar Procedure for fresh lumpia: 1. Peel and cut jicama and carrot (if whole) into batons.

Combine with rice wine vinegar, cover and set aside. Toss occasionally so all the veggies pickle evenly. Refrigerate if doing ahead.

2. Wash bean sprouts, drain and set aside.

3. Separate leaves from the head and wash romaine lettuce and drain. Dry off excess dampness with a kitchen or paper towels. Slice the ribs from the leaves.

4. Cube tofu into 1”. Fry over medium heat with the sesame oil until evenly browned.

While frying, season tofu with the soy sauce and patis to taste.

The tofu has none of its own

AFTER Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was crowned Miss Universe last year, Fil-Am mixologist Gelo Honrade concocted a cocktail in her honor: Pia The Drink.

Wurtzbach, who tasted the drink during her visit to Jeepney (a Filipino gastropub in New York), said it was “sweet but with a kick,” according to Honrade.

Honrade shared the recipe with the Asian Journal as a perfect Super Bowl party cocktail since Wurtzbach will be reporting at the big game on Sunday, Feb. 7 as a correspondent for “Inside Edition.” #PiaTheDrink 1oz Coco Lopez 3/4oz orange juice 3/4oz lemon juice 1 1/2oz pineapple purée 3/4oz blue Curaçao 2oz Selvarey white rum

Fresh Lumpia Filipino Kitchen Natalia Roxas-Alvarez

natural fats, tofu should be lightly coated with the oil.

5. Defrost wrappers and pull apart carefully. Keep a damp towel on hand to cover the wrappers to keep them moist.

Line the top of the romaine leaf with one of the lumpia wrapper corners. Tear if necessary to fit to size. On the leaf, place some bean sprouts, the jicama and carrot atchara, and the tofu cubes.

6. Wrap the opposing corner from the romaine leaf up and over the fillings. Roll two sides together over the fillings, leaving the leaf-side open.

While storing the fresh lumpia before guests arrive, cover with a damp towel to keep the wrappers supple.

Procedure for Sauce: Heat soy sauce and the water with the tamarind dissolved over medium. At a simmer, add

Fried Lumpia Yield: Generous helpings for 4-6 guests Ingredients: 1 medium sized carrot (large enough to yield one cup diced) half of one large jicama (large enough to yield one cup diced) half of one large red onion (large enough to yield one cup diced) 8 cloves garlic

Raise a glass in honor of Miss Universe

1 pound 40-50 count raw, head-on shrimp 1 pound ground pork 1 package (25-count) frozen lumpia wrappers one egg white Salt and pepper to taste Soy sauce to taste Fish sauce to taste 3 cups vegetable oil Procedure: 1. Dice carrot, jicama, red

Maharlika’s Chicken Inasal drumsticks Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken drumsticks 1/2 cup Suka 4 stalks of lemongrass chopped 1 head garlic smashed 2 tbsps. chopped ginger 1 tbsp. brown sugar 1/2 cup calamansi juice Basting Sauce 1/4 cup Achiote butter

the sugar and the cornstarch water. Stir until ingredients are well combined. Sauce should thicken. Serve sauce while warm with the fresh lumpia. !!! =`c`g`ef B`kZ_\e lj\j G_`c`gg`e\ Zl`j`e\ kf Zfee\Zk =`c`g`efj \m\ipn_\i\ n`k_ fli ZlckliXc _\i`kX^\ Xe[ k_\ gfjj`Y`c`k`\j f] fli j_Xi\[ ]lkli\% 9Xj\[ `e :_`ZX^f# n\ Zffb Xe[ j_Xi\ fli [\c`Z`flj Zl`j`e\ Xk gfg¸lg d\Xcj Xe[ ]ff[ \m\ekj% Fe fli n\Yj`k\# =`c`g`ef B`kZ_\e [fZld\ekj n`k_ g_fkf^iXg_p# `ek\im`\nj# jkfi`\j# Xe[ i\Z`g\j ]ifd k_\ dXb\ij Xe[ Xggi\Z`Xkfij f] =`c`g`ef Zl`j`e\ Xe[ `kj Zfek`el`e^ \mfclk`fe% N\ _fg\ kf c\X[ X cfe^$¸Zfd`e^ i\eX`jjXeZ\ Yp Zfee\Zk`e^ XZifjj k_\ [`XjgfiX n`k_ fli j_Xi\[ cfm\ Xe[ gi`[\ f] fli ]ff[% K_\ dXjk\id`e[j Xe[ dXjk\i_\Xikj Y\_`e[ =`c`g`ef B`kZ_\e Xi\ knf =`c`g`ef 8d\i`ZXej Xe[ Xe _fefiXip =`c`g`ef1 ni`k\i JXiX_cpee GXYcf# g_fkf^iXg_\i EXkXc`X IfoXj¸$8cmXi\q Xe[ gifa\Zk dXeX^\i :X`kc`e Gi\d`e^\i% =`c`g`ef B`kZ_\e `j fec`e\ Xk _kkg1&& Ôc`g`ef%b`kZ_\e Xe[ fe =XZ\Yffb# @ejkX^iXd Xe[ Kn`kk\i%

SIGNATURE DRINK. In honor of the third Filipina Miss Universe, The Maharlika in New York City made a cocktail just for Pia Alonzo Wurzbach. Bartender Gelo Honrade mixed the blue concoction and called it ʻPiaThe Drink.ʼ ““Yum! Itʼs strong, just like me!” said Wurtzbach.

Photo from Maharlikaʼs Instagram page (maharlikanyc)

onion and garlic. Keeping garlic separate, set aside.

2. Remove heads, shells and veins of shrimp. (Reserve heads and shells and freeze to use for stock, if desired.)

3. Saute pork and 1/4 of the garlic. Add soy sauce and fish sauce to taste. Set aside.

4. Saute shrimp and remaining garlic. When shrimp has cooled, dice it and set aside.

5. Saute carrot, jicama and red onion. Add salt and pepper

to taste. Set aside.

6. Combine pork, shrimp and vegetables in a mixing bowl.

7. Defrost wrappers and pull apart carefully. Keep a damp towel on hand to cover the wrappers to keep them moist. Roll mixture into lumpia wrappers, using roughly 3 tablespoons per wrapper. Seal wrappers with some of the egg white.

8. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan so that the oil comes

Procedure: 1. Marinate the chicken for one hour 2. Grill chicken for 8 minutes on each side or until done, basting every 30 seconds.

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Joyce Bernal

Philstar.com photo

about 1/4 of the way up the sides of the lumpia.

9. Fry lumpia in batches of 3-5, being careful not to crowd the pan. Flip lumpia so that they become evenly golden brown.

10. After they are golden brown, set aside on paper towels to drain the oil a bit. Serve while warm with dipping sauces like sweet and sour, vinegar and garlic, banana ketchup or anything you please. (Recipe

by Filipino Kitchen)

Broncos & Panthers inspired cocktails

by Gelo Honrade

Moby dick (Broncos) 1/2 oz ginger syrup 1/2 oz lime juice 3/4 oz passionfruit 2oz sailor jerry spiced rum Rumaway baby (Panthers) 1/2 oz mango syrup 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice 1/2 oz lemon juice 2 oz Selvarey white rum

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI

Chinese New Year 5 The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 3, 2016

Celebrating the Year of the Fire Monkey THE Year of the Fire Monkey officially begins on Monday, Feb. 8. Around the world, those who observe the Chinese New Year holiday will celebrate with various rituals to ensure that the coming year is full of luck, fortune and good energy.

From what this year means for your animal sign to what to eat on the first day of the new year, the Asian Journal takes a look at the symbolism behind every ritual and tradition that goes into ringing in the Chinese New Year.

While 2015 — the Year of the Sheep — was characterized as the meeting of the minds and collaboration, “the energy of the monkey is very different…It’s not a year for the weak and timid,” said Melissa Yamaguchi, an energy therapist and Feng Shui educator based in Westlake Village, California, adding that 2016 will bring tricks and twists.

Tips to prepare for the New Year • DECLUTTER. Up until Feb. 6, it is the best time to declutter and get rid of old files by legally storing or shredding them. For example, untouched business cards and old papers should be disposed of because they represent lost contacts and unfinished business. It’s not just

as gifts, usually to kids from their parents, grandparents and other adults. Though you may give any amount you’re comfortable with, Yamaguchi said you should offer the most to your parents. According to China Highlights, giving a red envelope is a way to share your blessings if you have started earning money, and suggests that parents should be given $100-$300; $10-$30 for close friends and relatives’ children; $20-$200 for employees; $20 for your own children; and $5$10 for acquaintances’ children.

• No begging — On the eve of Chinese New Year, it is considered bad luck to beg and ask for a loan. It is strongly encouraged to not ask parents/other relatives for money, but exchanging red envelopes is okay. However, the red envelopes are not supposed to be opened until the day after. When you lend someone money on Chinese New Year, Yamaguchi said, it sets the tone that s/he will be begging for money for the entire year.

• RED CLOTHING. Yamaguchi suggests purchasing at least one new item of red clothing, as the color attracts the strongest energetic response. On New Year’s day, red clothing must be worn to represent vitality and strength.

• RED DECORATIONS. Anything red, such as tablecloth, flowers or lanterns, should be brought into the home because they offer prosperity and goodwill.

• TIME FOR FAMILY. On Feb. 8, it is important to spend time with family and friends.

New Year’s Eve (Feb. 7) should be a family reunion, which can Inquirer.net photo be marked by a dinner of close

about stacking and organizing these items, Yamaguchi said, but rather removing them from your workplace. “It’s old information and old money spent,” she said. Additionally, wastebaskets at home and at work should be emptied daily. On the 14th day of the new year, it is encouraged to clean the house again to remove traces of celebration.

• DONATE. Gather items at home that are no longer useful — whether clothing, furniture or dinnerware — and donate them if they are still in good condition. “Donating not only provides for those who don’t have…but it clears the way for new possibilities in your own life..in terms of movement and creativity,” Yamaguchi said.

“When we are stagnated by things that are old, it really blocks new energy from coming in.” Repairing and gluing broken items is seen as bad luck because when an item breaks, it absorbs negative energy.

• ALL THINGS RED. Red is a special color in Chinese culture because it signifies energy, happiness and good luck.

• RED ENVELOPES. One of the defining symbols of Chinese New Year is a red envelope (hongbao in Mandarin), which contains money to be given

The origin of Chinese Lunar New Year THE most important holiday for the Chinese people started out of fear. Legends tell of the battle against Nian, a beast that ate livestock and children. Nian, in fact, is the Chinese word for year.

To keep Nian out of chicken coops and cradles, villagers were told by a wise old man to wear red clothes, hang red signs and make lots of noise — three traditions of Chinese New Year. Fireworks and firecrackers are also traditional weapons against the beast and are widely used over the holiday.

With the old man’s advice, Nian was conquered, which the people recognize as the “passing of the Nian,” known in Chinese as guo nian, which is also synonymous with celebrating the new year.

Also known as the Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year begins at the new moon—typically between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. Originally tied to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, the popular adoption of China of the western calendar in 1912 made their people join in celebrating New Year’s Day on Jan. 1st.

China, however, continues to still celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year. (Malou Liwanag-Bledsoe/AJPress)

Chinese Zodiac: What this New Year means for your animal sign

family members. The meal should be spent talking about future plans and dreams, never anything negative. On the second day of the new year, it is custom to visit in-laws, and it is also recognized as the day to be kind to dogs and animals. It is discouraged to eat any kind of meat. On the third day, it is encouraged to go to bed early and not to eat pork — both of which show that you are putting your health first. On the sixth to the tenth day, it is expected to visit and celebrate with others.

• REMOVE NEGATIVE ENERGY. At midnight, open windows and doors at home to allow negative energy from 2015 to leave.

• DON’T SWEEP. It is largely discouraged to avoid using scissors or a broom on the first day of the new year because it means you cut/sweep away possibilities.

• GREET OTHERS WITH HAPPY THOUGHTS. According to tradition, ringing in the new year means spreading happy thoughts and speak to others.

Food SWEETS — The very first bite of New Year’s day is supposed to be something sweet because in Ancient China, when someone would deliver good news, it would be delivered with something sweet (i.e.

glutinous rice, candy, fruit).

FISH — An entire fish, complete with tail and head, should be served during the New Year celebration because it symbolizes prosperity and full abundance coming your way.

LONG NOODLES — Noodles are a sign of long life and good health. No matter how long they are, they are not supposed to be cut in the middle.

Typically noodle dishes have up to seven vegetables in them, which represent different arms of Chinese medicine in encouraging good health.

DUMPLINGS — According to Chinese Highlights, traditional dumplings are eaten to represent the money you will make in the New Year.

FRUITS — Certain round and golden fruits are eaten and displayed during the Chinese New Year period, such as: pineapple (good luck), apples (wisdom), mangos, watermelon (abundance), tangerines/oranges (fortune), pomelos (prosperity), kiwi, papayas (good health), grapes (wealth and luxury), lemons and limes (remove negative energy), and starfruit (securing reputation).

(Feng Shui tips and Chinese New Year traditions as told to Christina M. Oriel / AJPress by Melissa Yamaguchi. You may contact Melissa at myenergymylife@gmail.com)

The Chinese Zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle, and each year in that cycle is related to an animal sign: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Those born in 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 and 2016 are considered Monkeys. Since this year is about the fire monkey, it will be overall be an interesting and creative year for the sign, despite some bumps and the need to carefully consider decisions.

2016 is shaping up to be a good year for monkeys (highly creative energy, skillful with hands), snakes (will see financial success), dragons (benefit those around them) and rats because of the strong energies. The rabbit is also well-favored because they have excellent business skills.

“It will be good to hang out with those born in those years, listen to their advice and partner with them in business,” Yamaguchi said.

For other signs: the ox will have a neutral year of nothing too crazy, as it is an animal that is slow and steady; the tiger’s biggest challenge will to not be argumentative because they won’t win; the horse will not see any dramatic highs or sinking lows, but will see opportunities for change to embrace; the sheep is positioned well for business, but may be inclined to complain and could block any good energy; the rooster is strong financially from Feb - July, but should slow down in the autumn; the dog was very well protected in 2015, but there is no unseen protector this year so must find protection and speak up for themselves; and the pig may see a bumpy year because of some false worries, but should ignore them because stomach and back issues could arise.

“The most important thing of this year is to bring out the best of the monkey because the monkey is full of energy, likes to talk a lot and be the center of attention,” Yamaguchi said. “Bring in the monkey with laughter, love, smiles, good music and fun cheer.”

Inquirer.net photo

PECHANGA RESORT AND CASINO 1/4V

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Chinese New Year The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 3, 2016

How do you celebrate Chinese New Year?

FILIPINOS and Fil-Ams shared how they traditionally celebrate Chinese New Year, and what the 2016 Year of the Monkey means to them.

“Growing up both Filipino and Chinese, I celebrated both the Buddhist and Catholic traditions, so it was a unique experience. We celebrated by

lighting firecrackers, exchanging red envelopes, eating traditional mooncake and ricecakes. We also burned incense by the gravesites of our departed loved ones, to keep their memory alive.” - Gloria Ho, Glendale, CA “I’m hoping for more good luck this year, because it’s my zo-

diac year!” - Maxinne Vergara, Chino Hills, CA “This year we’ll be watching the Super Bowl, but we usually gather extended family and everything. We hand out red envelopes. We have authentic Chinese food, dumplings, and fruits, especially oranges. And basically for one night, everyone speaks Chinese to everyone.”

- Luke Baumbach, Anaheim, CA “I celebrate Chinese New Year on the Eve. My family generally goes out to dinner or orders Chinese food and brings it home.

It’s usually a lot of food, signature dishes with significant meanings. Lettuce wraps, for example, signify money. And lots of food means lots of leftovers…which means an abundance of wealth in the coming year.” - Kathryn Wong, Irvine, CA “We either go out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner, or prepare food at home. This year, we booked a Chinese restaurant, which you should do fast because they get fully booked really quickly. Fish and noodles signify wealth and health. Before we eat, always do an offering for our deceased Chinese family members. We light candles and incense, and this is the part where we do all the bowing.

Another big thing is the red envelopes, usually given during holidays or celebrations. Red symbolizes good luck.” - Jessica San Luis, Los Angeles, CA “As a Filipino/VietnameseAmerican, I celebrate Lunar New Year with my Vietnamese side. We typically have a party at my grandma’s house with traditional Vietnamese food, Bánh cu�n, Bún ch�, Bánh Xèo, and N�m ngó sen. We play a game called B�u cua cá c�p, a Vietnamese gambling game involving dice, and we greet our elders in traditional Vietnamese. To me, Chinese New Year is important, because it gives me a chance to celebrate my Vietnamese side, culture and traditions. All of my cousins are the first generation here, so we don’t get too many opportunities to do so. ” - Anthony Nguyen, Diamond Bar, CA

Seaworld San Diego brings Lunar New Year festivities FROM Jan. 30 to Feb. 21, Seaworld San Diego is holding its second annual Lunar New Year celebration. The 11-day event features riveting performances from Chinese acrobats and lion dancers, Asian-inspired food and beverages and a spotlight on animals indig-

enous to Asia.

Some of the animals you can encounter at the park include: Asian small-clawed otters, Eurasian owls, spider monkeys and reticulated pythons.

A special treat for those born in the Year of the Monkey

(1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, or 2004): enjoy one free single-day admission to the park. To redeem this offer, guests must show a valid form of ID on Feb. 6, 7, or 8.

Please visit www.seaworldparks.com for more information.

AJPress photos by Ding Carreon CHINESE NEW YEAR AT THE AMERICANA AT BRAND. On Saturday, Feb. 1, hundreds of people flocked to the Americana at Brand in Glendale, California to celebrate the Lunar New Year with cultural performances, Asian food and special apperances by cast members from ABC’s “Fresh off the Boat.” For the month of February, enjoy festive decor and special shopping events and deals at the mall.

AJPress photos by Ding Carreon

Who’s on the field: Player positions explained OFFENSE Quarter Back: The leader of the team who calls the plays, is the primary passer and ball handler, and receives the ball from the center. He then passes the ball to a running back, throws it to a receiver, and occasionally runs the ball.

Center: The innermost lineman on the offensive line who snaps (or passes between the legs) the ball to the quarterback at the beginning of every play. He also handles the ball on each play.

Wide Receiver: Typically the team’s fastest receiver (pass catcher). Teams will use two or four of these players on each play. Wide receievers are positioned seven yards from the interior linemen. They use their speed to catch the football and evade the defense.

Left Tackle and Right Tackle: The outer two players on the offensive line who must shield the ball carrier from defendors.

Left Guard and Right Guard: The inner two players on the offensive line who are responsible for protecting the quarterback on players who carry the ball.

Running Back: A player whose job is to receive the ball from the quarterback, catch passes from the backfield and run with the ball.

Running backs make physical contact in almost every down. There are typically one to two running backs on the field during a play, and may

From Page 2 occurs at the beginning of the first and third periods, and after each successful field goal and touchdown. It involves the “kicking team” kicking the ball to the “receiving team.”

Punt: A kick in which a player drops the ball from their hands and kicks it before it hits the ground. This kick typically occurs on the fourth down when the offense has failed to advance the ball 10 yards. Although the offense can choose to attempt to advance the ball again, by punting, the opponent is likely to start farther up the field than they otherwise would.

Snap: The action when the center tosses the ball backward between the legs to the quarterback, marking the start of a play.

Tackle: The act of stopping a player in possession of the ball by seizing and throwing them to the ground.

How the game works A football game consists of

be referred to as a fullback or halfback.

Tight End: The player stationed next to the offensive tackle who has the responsibilities of an offensive lineman and wide receiver receiver, although a tight end is bigger and stronger than most receivers.

Super Bowl 50 The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 3, 2016

Defensive End: The two outer players in the defensive line who are two of the largest members on the defensive team whose jobs are to penetrate offensive blocking and together tackle the quarterback or whoever is carrying the ball. During running plays, defensive ends are responsible for forcing the ball carrier out of bounds or toward other defensive playeres.

Safety: Safties are the last line of defense and must tackle bigger runners, but also possess the speed to catch the ball from fast receivers.

Defensive Tackle: The inner two members of the defensive line who are two of the biggest men on the defensive team. Their jobs are to stop the running attack and get to the passer.

They are allowed to use their hands against blockers.

Linebacker: A linebacker is considered among the team’s best tacklers. Teams typically have three to four linebackers per play.

They line up behind the defensive linemen and are responsible for pursuing running plays and Illustration by Kendrick Tan preventing passes.

Nose Guard: The most interior defensive DEFENSE tackle whose name is derived from the fact this Cornerback: A player who is positioned on player sometimes lines up directly across from the wider ends of the field. Cornerbacks are the ball, putting him nearly nose-to-nose with among the fastest players on the field and are the offensive team’s center. (Agnes Constante/ responsible for defending against offensive AJPress) passes and making tackles.

More than football: Super Bowl’s...

Football 101 four 15-minute quarters with a 12-minute halftime break between the second and third periods.

Before a game begins, the captains from both teams meet with the referee at the center of the field for a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss gets to decide to start the game by either kicking the ball to the other team or receiving the kick off from their opponent.

Once the kick off happens, the game begins.

The team receiving the ball must try to bring it as far back toward the kicking team as possible and get it into their end zone. This is done most commonly by running with the ball either by carrying it and running. Although this yields less yardage, advancing the ball this way reduces the risk of accidentally turning over the ball to the other team.

The team in possession of the ball has four opportunities called

“downs” to advance the ball 10 yards. If it succeeds, it gets another four downs to advance it another 10 yards. If it fails, it must surrender possession of the ball to the other team.

Once the team in possession of the ball manages to bring the ball to the end zone of the opposing team, it has the opportunity to score an additional point or two by opting for an extra-point or two-point conversion.

At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins.

How to score Touchdown (6 points): Scoring a touchdown is achieved when a player in possession of the ball crosses the opposing team’s goal line into the end zone.

Field goal (3 points): A field goal is scored when the ball is kicked anywhere on the field, though it is typically attempted within 40 yards of the goalpost. For the field goal to be deemed good, the kicked ball

7

must go above the crossbar and between the uprights of the goalpost.

Two-point conversion (2 points): At the end of a touchdown, the offensive team can attempt a two-point conversion by lining up on the defense’s two-yard line and advance the ball the same way it would to score a touchdown. If the team succeeds, it receives two points in addition to the six points for the touchdown.

Safety (2 points): This occurs when the defense tackles an offensive player in possession of the ball in the offense’s end zone.

Extra point conversion (1 point): At the end of a touchdown, the offensive team can attempt a one-point conversion by kicking the ball through the uprights of the goalpost, the same way done in a field goal. In the NFL, the ball is snapped from the 15yard line. (Agnes Constante/ AJPress)

From Page 3 rable. The group—who was supposedly (quietly) funded by Exxon and Coca-Cola—was seen as a cult-like organization aimed to discredit liberal culture during the ‘60s and ‘70s. However, it was during Up With People’s first SB performance that brought in a concert-like quality sound system, covering the stadium.

The nineties brought in more pop stars onstage. In 1993, NBC brought in the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. A new era in viewing ushered in—millions of viewers apparently opted to take

their breaks during the game, as halftime ratings surpassed the actual game for the first time.

Halftime shows after that became a huge viewer magnet— big productions with multi-million dollar commercial viability. It also gave the audience the concert feel, with huge stars like Aerosmith, U2, Black Eyed Peas and Katy Perry to name a few.

Today, the halftime show is equally viewed as the game itself, with a whopping 118.5 million viewers from last year’s Super Bowl. (AJPress)

Halftime Hots: Some of the...

From Page 3 Are,” with videos of troops serving overseas sending love to their families. The Red Hot Chili Peppers also joined him for two songs. Aside from breaking halftime show ratings with a whopping 115.3 million viewers, at 28 years old, he was also the youngest star to perform the SB halftime show in 13 years.

Other notable performances:

Diana Ross’ (1996) helicopter exit, Prince’s (2007) “Purple Rain” rainy performance in Miami with his controversial guitar, Bruce Springsteen (2009), Madonna with Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, CeeLo Green and MIA’s “bird flippin’” fiasco, and Katy Perry’s (2015) four costume changes, metallic lion (or tiger?) and two dancing sharks. (AJPress)

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 3, 2016

Valid at Island Pacific West Covina, Panorama, Canoga Park, N. Vermont Los Angeles, S. Vermont Los Angeles, Oxnard.

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